Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analytical Performance of a Highly Sensitive C-Reactive Protein-Based Immunoassay and the Effects of Laboratory Variables on Levels of Protein in Blood

ABSTRACT C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute-phase reactant whose levels increase in response to a variety of inflammatory stimuli. Elevated levels in serum are observed after trauma, tissue necrosis, infection, surgery, and myocardial infarction and are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. CRP levels are also elevated in noninflammatory states, such as obesity, sleep disturbances, depression, chronic fatigue, aging, and physical inactivity. In this study, the performance of a highly sensitive CRP enzyme immunoassay was evaluated, along with common laboratory variables (specimen type, processing time, and storage conditions) that may influence measured blood concentrations of CRP. The measurement range of the assay was from 0.4 to 50 μg/liter. Total imprecision (coefficient of variation) ranged from 8.1 to 11.4%. CRP levels obtained with the enzyme immunoassay were highly correlated with those obtained with an automated immunonephelometric assay. Comparable results were obtained for plasma (heparin and EDTA treated) and serum samples, and levels were unaffected by delays in sample processing and storage temperature. CRP levels were also unaffected by up to seven freeze-thaw cycles. The median CRP concentration in healthy adults was determined to be 0.94 mg/liter, with a 95% working reference interval of 0 to 6.9 mg/liter. In view of these data, we recommend that serial serum or plasma samples for CRP should be stored at 4oC for short periods of time or at −70oC for longer periods and tested within the same run to minimize interassay variability.
The impact of an expert's gender on jurors' decisions

This study uses a simulated civil trial to examine the effect of a male expert's testimony in a male-dominated industry as compared to a female expert's testimony in a traditionally female-dominated industry. As noted by Cooper et al., research on persuasion has reliably demonstrated that, under conditions of message complexity, people rely on heuristic cues rather than the content of the message when judging its validity. Similarly, Swenson, Nash, and Roos determined that a female expert witness in a child custody dispute was perceived as possessing greater expertise than a male expert, although this difference was only marginally significant. Findings from an unpublished dissertation, which investigated the influence of expert gender in a case involving child sexual abuse, also found some support, in terms of whether or not jurors reached a verdict in a specified period of time or remained hung, for the hypothesis that a female expert would be more influential than her male counterpart. Within each of these trial domains (construction, women's clothing), the second experimental variable was manipulated by varying the gender of the plaintiff's expert witness, with half of the participants receiving testimony from a female expert (Dr. Elizabeth Pinder) and half of the participants receiving testimony from a male expert (Dr. Michael Pinder).
An Auditory Model of Speaker Size Perception for Voiced Speech Sounds

An auditory model was developed to explain the results of behavioral experiments on perception of speaker size with voiced speech sounds. It is based on the dynamic, compressive gammachirp (dcGC) filterbank and a weighting function (SSI weight) derived from a theory of size-shape segregation in the auditory system. Voiced words with and without highfrequency emphasis (+6 dB/octave) were produced using a speech vocoder (STRAIGHT). The SSI weighting function reduces the effect of glottal pulse excitation in voiced speech, which, in turn, makes it possible for the model to explain the individual subject variability in the data.
Dictyostelium discoideum mutants with conditional defects in phagocytosis

We have isolated and characterized Dictyostelium discoideum mutants with conditional defects in phagocytosis. Under suspension conditions, the mutants exhibited dramatic reductions in the uptake of bacteria and polystyrene latex beads. The initial binding of these ligands was unaffected, however, indicating that the defect was not in a plasma membrane receptor: Because of the phagocytosis defect, the mutants were unable to grow when cultured in suspensions of heat-killed bacteria. The mutants exhibited normal capacities for fluid phase endocytosis and grew as rapidly as parental (AX4) cells in axenic medium. Both the defects in phagocytosis and growth on bacteria were corrected when the mutant Dictyostelium cells were cultured on solid substrates. Reversion and genetic complementation analysis suggested that the mutant phenotypes were caused by single gene defects. While the precise site of action of the mutations was not established, the mutations are likely to affect an early signaling event because the binding of bacteria to mutant cells in suspension was unable to trigger the localized polymerization of actin filaments required for ingestion; other aspects of actin function appeared normal. This class of conditional phagocytosis mutant should prove to be useful for the expression cloning of the affected gene(s).
Identification of dimethyl disulfide-forming bacteria isolated from activated sludge

Twenty-four strains with high dimethyl disulfide (DMDS)-forming ability were isolated from activated sludge and identified to the genus level. These bacteria were classified into four groups (A, B, C, and D) by the API ZYM System (API System S.A., Montalieu, France). Group A (three strains) was identified as genus Lactobacillus by the API 20B System, by the method of Cowan and Steel, and by production of lactic acid as confirmed by gas-liquid chromatography. Group B (eight strains) was identified as genus Corynebacterium by API 20B and the Cowan and Steel method. Group C (one strain) was suggested to belong to genus Corynebacterium by the API 20B System. Group D (12 strains) was identified as genus Pseudomonas or Alcaligenes by the API 20B System, as genus Alcaligenes by the Cowan and Steel method, and as Achromobacter group Vd by the API 20NE System. However, on the basis of guanine-plus-cytosine contents in DNA and form of flagella, these strains were identified as genus Pseudomonas. Formation of DMDS from DL-methionine and S-methyl-L-cysteine was tested. DMDS-forming bacteria isolated from activated sludge formed DMDS from both precursors. In genus Pseudomonas, P. aeruginosa could not form DMDS from either precursor, but P. acidovorans, P. alcaligenes, P. pseudoalcaligenes, and P. testosteroni formed DMDS. In genus Alcaligenes, A. denitrificans subsp. xylosoxydans, A. denitrificans subsp. denitrificans, A. faecalis, and A. odorans formed DMDS from both precursors. Achromobacter group Vd formed DMDS from S-methyl-L-cysteine, but could not from DL-methionine.
Organizational Justice and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Mediating Role of Psychological Capital

The present study is aimed to examine the mediating effect of psychological capital in the relationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior. Data has been collected from a sample of 350 employees from multimedia organizations operating in Malaysia through personally administered questionnaires. The mediation effect has been tested using structural equation modelling. Results show a positive relationship between three dimensions of organizational justice, namely distributive justice, procedural justice and interactional justice towards organizational citizenship behavior, a positive relationship between all this three dimension of organizational justice and psychological capital, and psychological capital towards organizational citizenship behavior. Finally, psychological capital partially mediated the relationship between distributive justice, procedural justice, interactional justice and organizational citizenship behavior. The study makes a significant and unique contribution to literature by showing the mediation effect of psychological capital in the relationship between organizational justice and organizational citizenship behavior.
Common infections in older adults.

Infectious diseases account for one third of all deaths in people 65 years and older. Early detection is more difficult in the elderly because the typical signs and symptoms, such as fever and leukocytosis, are frequently absent. A change in mental status or decline in function may be the only presenting problem in an older patient with an infection. An estimated 90 percent of deaths resulting from pneumonia occur in people 65 years and older. Mortality resulting from influenza also occurs primarily in the elderly. Urinary tract infections are the most common cause of bacteremia in older adults. Asymptomatic bacteriuria occurs frequently in the elderly; however, antibiotic treatment does not appear to be efficacious. The recent rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (e.g., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus) is a particular problem in the elderly because they are exposed to infections at higher rates in hospital and institutional settings. Treatment of colonization and active infection is problematic; strict adherence to hygiene practices is necessary to prevent the spread of resistant organisms.
Expression of heat shock proteins 27, 60 and 70 in oral carcinogenesis: An immunohistochemical study

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a class of functionally related proteins, the expression of which is increased when cells are exposed to elevated temperatures or other stresses, including infection, irradiation, heavy metals, ethanol, and oxidants. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of HSP60, HSP70 and HSP27 as prognostic factors in different stages of oral carcinogenesis by immunohistochemical analysis.
Structural Basis for RNA Binding and Homo-Oligomer Formation by Influenza B Virus Nucleoprotein

ABSTRACT Influenza virus nucleoprotein (NP) is the major component of the viral ribonucleoprotein complex, which is crucial for the transcription and replication of the viral genome. We have determined the crystal structure of influenza B virus NP to a resolution of 3.2 Å. Influenza B NP contains a head, a body domain, and a tail loop. The electropositive groove between the head and body domains of influenza B NP is crucial for RNA binding. This groove also contains an extended flexible charged loop (amino acids [aa] 125 to 149), and two lysine clusters at the first half of this loop were shown to be crucial for binding RNA. Influenza B virus NP forms a crystallographic homotetramer by inserting the tail loop into the body domain of the neighboring NP molecule. A deeply buried salt bridge between R472 and E395 and a hydrophobic cluster at F468 are the major driving forces for the insertion. The analysis of the influenza B virus NP structure and function and comparisons with influenza A virus NP provide insights into the mechanisms of action and underpin efforts to design inhibitors for this class of proteins.
PEG chain length impacts yield of solid‐phase protein PEGylation and efficiency of PEGylated protein separation by ion‐exchange chromatography: Insights of mechanistic models

The mechanisms behind protein PEGylation are complex and dictated by the structure of the protein reactant. Hence, it is difficult to design a reaction process which can produce the desired PEGylated form at high yield. Likewise, efficient purification processes following protein PEGylation must be constructed on an ad hoc basis for each product. The retention and binding mechanisms driving electrostatic interaction‐based chromatography (ion‐exchange chromatography) of PEGylated proteins (randomly PEGylated lysozyme and mono‐PEGylated bovine serum albumin) were investigated, based on our previously developed model Chem. Eng. Technol. 2005, 28, 1387–1393. PEGylation of each protein resulted in a shift to a smaller elution volume compared to the unmodified molecule, but did not affect the number of binding sites appreciably. The shift of the retention volume of PEGylated proteins correlated with the calculated thickness of PEG layer around the protein molecule. Random PEGylation was carried out on a column (solid‐phase PEGylation) and the PEGylated proteins were separated on the same column. Solid‐phase PEGylation inhibited the production of multi‐PEGylated forms and resulted in a relatively low yield of selective mono‐PEGylated form. Pore diffusion may play an important role in solid‐phase PEGylation. These results suggest the possibility of a reaction and purification process development based on the mechanistic model for PEGylated proteins on ion exchange chromatography.
Design and Performance of a 16S rRNA-Targeted Oligonucleotide Probe for Detection of Members of the Genus Bdellovibrio by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization

ABSTRACT A 16S rRNA-targeted, Cy3-labeled oligonucleotide probe was designed to detect members of the genus Bdellovibrio by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Specific hybridization conditions were established; however, the detection of bdellovibrios in environmental samples required enrichment, confirming that Bdellovibrio spp. are not present in large numbers in the environment.
Does young maternal age adversely affect child development? Evidence from cousin comparisons.

The following issues are addressed: the need to distinguish conceptually between current maternal characteristics and family background the difficulties in using matched comparison groups to control for family background and the inability of controls for socioeconomic status to capture family background characteristics that my confound the relationship between maternal age and child development. Specifically the objective is to examine the degree to which family background characteristics preceding 1st pregnancy account for development differences between children of teen and nonteen mothers. The sample of women aged 14-21 in 1979 who are sisters with their 1st births at different ages and have 1 1st cousin was drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) 1979-88. The main sample was 1223 children in the 1986 and/or 1988 NLSY and the 1st cousin sample consisted of 637 mothers. Least square regressions were used to estimate cross-sectional effects on developmental scores of children of teen mothers. All children in the 1st cousins sample are categorized by whether 1) all sisters had their 1st births as teenagers 2) at least 1 sister had a 1st birth after age 19 but the mother was a teen 3) the reverse of 2 and 4) all sisters had 1st births after age 19. The within family effect compares groups 2 and 3. Analyses are conducted on the full sample of 1st cousins a subsample of firstborn children a subsample of non-Hispanic black women and a subsample of non-Hispanic white women. Conclusions may be drawn only about the effects for women from more disadvantaged families in which women have teen 1st births. The results were that young maternal age is associated with impaired child development. But in the 1st cousins comparisons the findings were that there was not an adverse effect of maternal age on measures of child development. The results are confounded by family background. The lower performance of children of teen mothers may reflect their mothers prechildbearing characteristics rather than their youth. The comparisons among cousins suggests that socioeconomic costs to women from disadvantaged backgrounds of early childbearing may be much lower than suggested in other findings. Further systematic study is needed to explain the cousins results particularly of differences in parenting skills or parenting as a shared activity.
Epidemiology of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma in Spain. A unicentric study.

INTRODUCTION Barrett's esophagus (BE) is an acquired disease defined by the presence of intestinal metaplasia with goblet cells in the distal esophagus. The prevalence of BE has increased dramatically over the last years. AIMS The primary aims of the study were to analyze the characteristics of BE and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) in a Spanish health district during a follow-up period. METHODOLOGY Sociodemographic factors, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were analyzed. We also studied the histological behavior and cause of death in each group. RESULTS In the present study 430 patients were included, 338 with BE and 92 with EAC. Incidence rates have risen from 2.25 and 1.25 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1996 to 6.5 and 4.75 per 100,000 in 2011, respectively. In the EAC group, male gender, age and alcohol consumption were higher in comparison to the BE group, and the overall survival was 23 months. In the BE group, the main causes of death were non-esophageal cancer and cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS The incidence and prevalence rates of AEC and BE have risen over the past years. Risk factors for these conditions were male gender, age and alcohol consumption. Long BE (> 3 cm) is involved in dysplasia progression. AEC diagnosis mainly occurs after neoplasia is detected and, in a few cases, due to a previous BE. Cardiovascular diseases and non-esophageal cancers have been found to be the main cause of death in BE patients.
The Effect of Viscous Air Damping on an Optically Actuated Multilayer MoS2 Nanomechanical Resonator Using Fabry-Perot Interference

We demonstrated a multilayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) nanomechanical resonator by using optical Fabry-Perot (F-P) interferometric excitation and detection. The thin circular MoS2 nanomembrane with an approximate 8-nm thickness was transferred onto the endface of a ferrule with an inner diameter of 125 μm, which created a low finesse F-P interferometer with a cavity length of 39.92 μm. The effects of temperature and viscous air damping on resonance behavior of the resonator were investigated in the range of −10–80 °C. Along with the optomechanical behavior of the resonator in air, the measured resonance frequencies ranged from 36 kHz to 73 kHz with an extremely low inflection point at 20 °C, which conformed reasonably to those solved by previously obtained thermal expansion coefficients of MoS2. Further, a maximum quality (Q) factor of 1.35 for the resonator was observed at 0 °C due to viscous dissipation, in relation to the lower Knudsen number of 0.0025~0.0034 in the tested temperature range. Moreover, measurements of Q factor revealed little dependence of Q on resonance frequency and temperature. These measurements shed light on the mechanisms behind viscous air damping in MoS2, graphene, and other 2D resonators.
Ultramorphology of the root surface subsequent to hand-ultrasonic simultaneous instrumentation during non-surgical periodontal treatments. An in vitro study

Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate the ultramorphology of the root surfaces induced by mechanical instrumentation performed using conventional curettes or piezoelectric scalers when used single-handedly or with a combined technique. Material and Methods Thirty single-rooted teeth were selected and divided into 3 groups: Group A, instrumentation with curettes; Group B instrumentation with titanium nitride coated periodontal tip mounted in a piezoelectric handpiece; Group C, combined technique with curette/ultrasonic piezoelectric instrumentation. The specimens were processed and analyzed using confocal and scanning electron microscopy. Differences between the different groups of instrumentation were determined using Pearson’s χ 2 with significance predetermined at α=0.001. Results Periodontal scaling and root planing performed with curettes, ultrasonic or combined instrumentation induced several morphological changes on the root surface. The curettes produced a compact and thick multilayered smear layer, while the morphology of the root surfaces after ultrasonic scaler treatment appeared irregular with few grooves and a thin smear layer. The combination of curette/ultrasonic instrumentation showed exposed root dentin tubules with a surface morphology characterized by the presence of very few grooves and slender remnants of smear layer which only partially covered the root dentin. In some cases, it was also possible to observe areas with exposed collagen fibrils. Conclusion The curette-ultrasonic simultaneous instrumentation may combine the beneficial effects of each instrument in a single technique creating a root surface relatively free from the physical barrier of smear layer and dentin tubules orifices partial occlusion.
A comparative study of the metaphor used in the economic news articles in Britain and Hong Kong

As cognitive linguistics argues, the meaning construction processes that we employ to understand and interact with the world around us are dynamic processes and are highly metaphorical. Conceptual Metaphor Theory proposed by Lakoff and Johnson appears to be insufficient to explain the fuzziness in categorization and the emergence of mixed metaphors. Categorization theory indicates that meaning construction processes are not fixed while the presence of mixed metaphor casts doubt on the idea whether metaphor production is simply a cross domain mapping. Moreover, metaphor is also cultural-cognitive that it is a good tool to explore the ways of thinking, evaluations, values and attitudes of the people speaking the metaphor. On the pragmatic level, the choice of metaphor helps deliver the stance and achieve the persuasive ends of the writers. In my study, I compare how the commonly used word ‗economy‘ is construed with metaphors in the economic discourse in two locations, Britain and Hong Kong, in an attempt to illustrate the above mentioned ideas. Firstly, on the cognitive level, I compare the conceptual metaphors manifested in shaping the concepts concerning ‗economy‘. I argue that primary metaphors are near-universal across cultures. Moreover, I discuss some of these mixed metaphors observed in my corpora in order to illustrate that meaning construction processes is dynamic processes. I also suggest observing cross-cultural differences in conceptual metaphor by looking at the change of image schema. Then, I further investigate these conceptual metaphors on the cultural-cognitive level, in an attempt to explore the ideas attached with the word ‗economy‘ in these two locations. Finally, I attempt to illustrate the pragmatic functions of metaphors, that is, how the choice of metaphors helps achieve the persuasive ends of the writers.
An Integrated Driving/Charging Switched Reluctance Motor Drive Using Three-Phase Power Module

This paper develops an integrated driving/charging switched reluctance motor (SRM) drive for electric vehicles using off-the-shelf three-phase intelligent power modules (IPMs). Five legs of two IPMs are employed to construct the four-phase SRM modified Miller converter. Moreover, its front-end dc/dc boost converter is formed by the remaining one leg to boost the dc-link voltage from a battery. Proper current and speed control schemes are designed to yield satisfactory driving performance. In particular, the performance under higher speed is enhanced by the boosted dc-link voltage and the advanced shift of commutation instant. In idle case, some imbedded IPM power devices and SRM windings are arranged to form a buck-boost type or a buck-type switch-mode rectifier (SMR) for charging the battery from a utility with good charging control characteristics and a line drawn power quality. The rating derivations, performance analyses, and controller designs for these two SMRs are performed in detail. All constituted circuit components of the charger are naturally placed onboard; only the insertion of a power cable to the ac source socket is needed. A common digital signal processor is used to realize all control schemes fully digitally, and their control performances are demonstrated experimentally.