Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alternative oxygen‐dependent and oxygen‐independent ribonucleotide reductases in Streptomyces: cross‐regulation and physiological role in response to oxygen limitation

Ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs) catalyse the conversion of ribonucleotides to deoxyribonucleotides and are essential for de novo DNA synthesis and repair. Streptomyces spp. contain genes coding for two RNRs. We show here that the Streptomyces coelicolor M145 nrdAB genes encoding an oxygen‐dependent class I RNR are co‐transcribed with nrdS, which encodes an AraC‐like regulatory protein. Likewise, the class II oxygen‐independent RNR nrdJ gene forms an operon with a likely regulatory gene, nrdR, which encodes a protein possessing an ATP‐cone domain like those present in the allosteric activity site of many class Ia RNRs. Deletions in nrdB and nrdJ had no discernible effect on growth individually, but abolition of both RNR systems, using hydroxyurea to inactivate the class Ia RNR (NrdAB) in the nrdJ deletion mutant, was lethal, establishing that S. coelicolor possesses just two functional RNR systems. The class II RNR (NrdJ) may function to provide a pool of deoxyribonucleotide precursors for DNA repair during oxygen limitation and/or for immediate growth after restoration of oxygen, as the nrdJ mutant was slower in growth recovery than the nrdB mutant or the parent strain. The class Ia and class II RNR genes show complex regulation. The nrdRJ genes were transcribed some five‐ to sixfold higher than the nrdABS genes in vegetative growth, but when nrdJ was deleted, nrdABS transcription was upregulated by 13‐fold. In a reciprocal experiment, deletion of nrdB had little effect on nrdRJ transcription. Deletion of nrdR caused a dramatic increase in transcription of nrdJ and to a less extent nrdABS, whereas disruption of cobN, a gene required for synthesis of coenzyme B12 a cofactor for the class II RNR, caused similar upregulation of transcription of nrdRJ and nrdABS. In contrast, deletion of nrdS had no detectable effect on transcription of either set of RNR genes. These results establish the existence of control mechanisms that sense and regulate overall RNR gene expression.
Cartilage destruction and bone erosion in arthritis: the role of tumour necrosis factor α

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disabling disease characterised by synovitis, destruction of cartilage and bone and, ultimately, loss of joint function. A great deal of research in rheumatology over the past two decades has focused on identifying cytokines and other mediators responsible for the inflammatory and degenerative processes in RA, with the aim of developing specific inhibitors or antagonists of therapeutic value. A key question in this research has been whether there is a degree of hierarchy in proinflammatory cytokine expression in RA, such that inhibiting the activity of a cytokine high up in the inflammatory cascade has an impact on the expression of downstream mediators of inflammation and joint damage. Of the many cytokines thought to contribute to the inflammatory and degenerative changes that occur in RA, tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) has emerged as being of major pathological significance. For example, TNFα was identified in the synovial membrane, and particularly at the cartilage-pannus junction, of patients with RA,1 and was found to be spontaneously produced by cultured synovial cells derived from RA patients.2 The in vitro properties of TNFα were also found to be consistent with a pathogenic role. Thus, TNFα promoted cartilage and bone resorption3 4 and induced the release of prostaglandin E2 and collagenase by synovial cells.5 In addition, TNFα was reported to play a part in fibrosis6and to facilitate inflammatory cell infiltration by promoting the adhesion of neutrophils and lymphocytes to endothelial cells.7 8 Evidence was also provided to suggest that TNFα induces the production of interleukin 1 (IL1), another potential mediator of joint damage in RA,9 as antibodies to TNFα were shown to diminish the production of IL1 by rheumatoid synovium derived mononuclear cells.2 Using a similar experimental system, it was subsequently shown …
XMM-Newton observations of the σ Orionis cluster: II. Spatial and spectral analysis of the full EPIC field

We present the results of an XMM- Newton observation of the young (${\sim} 2{-}4$ Myr) cluster around the hot star σ Orionis. In a previous paper we presented the analysis of the RGS spectrum of the central hot star; here we discuss the results of the analysis of the full EPIC field. We have detected 175 X-ray sources, 88 of which have been identified with cluster members, including very low-mass stars down to the substellar limit. We detected eleven new possible candidate members from the 2MASS catalogue. We find that late-type stars have a median $\log L_\mathrm{X}/L_\mathrm{bol} \sim -3.3$, i.e. very close to the saturation limit. We detected significant variability in ${\sim} 40$% of late-type members or candidates, including 10 flaring sources; rotational modulation is detected in one K-type star and possibly in another 3 or 4 stars. Spectral analysis of the brightest sources shows typical quiescent temperatures in the range $T_1\sim 0.3{-}0.8$ keV and $T_2\sim 1{-}3$ keV, with subsolar abundances $Z\sim 0.1{-}0.3 \,Z_\odot$, similar to what is found in other star-forming regions and associations. We find no significant difference in the spectral properties of classical and weak-lined T Tauri stars, although classical T Tauri stars tend to be less X-ray luminous than weak-lined T Tauri stars.
Depression in sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis, a chronic, multisystem disease, impacts quality of life and may increase depression risk. No previous study has reported the depression prevalence among U.S. sarcoid patients. This cross-sectional study examined sociodemographic and disease morbidity factors associated with depression. Patients diagnosed for > or = 1 yr and treated at one of six centers were eligible (n = 176); 154 completed a questionnaire of demographics, treatment, access to medical care, and a short-form Center for Epidemiologic Studies- Depression Scale (CES-D). The primary outcome variable was a CES-D score of > or = 9, indicating clinical depression. The prevalence of depression was 60%. Gender, income, access to medical care, dyspnea on exertion, and number of systems involved were associated with depression. Female sex, decreased access to medical care, and increased dyspnea predicted depression (odds ratio [OR] = 3.33, 11.64, and 2.78, respectively) after adjusting for race, income, and steroid therapy. Despite tertiary care access, patients reported medical care limitation. Health care providers must be sensitive to multiple barriers faced by chronic sarcoid patients; acknowledging depression risk and improving access to medical care will promote better overall health among sarcoid patients. Future studies of sarcoidosis will need to address depression diagnosis and treatment.
The Efficacy of Well-Being Therapy for Depression in Infertile Women

Background Infertility is a major public health problem with physical, psychological and social dimensions. High prevalence of psychological problems has been reported in infertile women. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of well- being therapy (WBT) for depression in infertile women who were referred to an infertility center in Mashhad, Iran. Materials and Methods This preliminary trial was conducted at the Montasariya Infertility Center, Mashhad, Iran, between July and October 2011. A group of 22 infertile women were randomly assigned into experimental (n=11) and control groups (n=11). Patients were assessed with two self-rating inventories including the Psychological Well- being (PWB) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) before and after the interventions and the waiting-list period. WBT was performed in 8 to 10 sessions according to the published protocol. Results Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed a significant difference regarding the depression scores of experimental group between preand post-treatment as compared to control subjects. Conclusion The results suggested the feasibility and clinical advantages of adding WBT to repertoire of the treatment techniques for depression in infertile women.
PREPARED FOR UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND TRANSPORTATION CENTER R EPLACEMENT OF CHROMATES IN PAINTS AND CORROSION PROTECTION SYSTEMS

DISCLAIMER This report, prepared in cooperation with the University of Rhode Island Transportation Center, does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The contents of this report reflect the views of the author(s) who is (are) responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program, in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. This technical report presents the first stage results of a multi-year project to develop chromate-free paints and corrosion protection systems. Chromate coatings and chromate-containing paints are very effective in providing corrosion resistance and are widely used in the manufacturing, transportation and defense industries; however, there is a need to find an environmentally-and occupationally-friendly replacement to chromate (chromium VI is considered a carcinogen with an extremely low personal exposure limit). The tasks of this first stage consisted of the scale-up and corrosion testing of an alternate-to-chromate coating, initiation of biocorrosion tests, and development and corrosion testing of a wash primer. The alternate-to-chromate coating involves substituting titanium for chromium (titanium is much safer than chromium and it is used for hip replacement in humans). The new formulation protects in the same manner as chromate and has been able to match the test data for chromated surfaces. Microbially-influenced corrosion (biocorrosion) studies were initiated by establishing marine bacteria cultures and conducting preliminary electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. A wash primer containing polyaniline (an electroactive polymer) instead of chromate was also developed and corrosion tested. The report ends with a summary of future tasks to further develop chromate-free paints and anti-corrosion systems.
Design of Single-Switch Inverters for Variable Resistance/Load Modulation Operation

Single-Switch inverters such as the conventional Class-E inverter are often highly load sensitive, and maintain zero-voltage switching over only a narrow range of load resistances. This paper introduces a design methodology that enables rapid synthesis of Class E and related single-switch inverters that maintain ZVS operation over a wide range of resistive loads. We treat the design of Class-E inverters for variable resistance operation and show how the proposed methodology relates to circuit transformations on traditional Class-E designs. We also illustrate the use of this transformation approach to realize Φ2 inverters for variable-resistance operation. The proposed methodology is demonstrated and experimentally validated at 27.12 MHz in a Class E and Φ2 inverter designs that operate efficiently over 12:1 load resistance range for an 8:1 and 10:1 variation in output power, respectively, and a 25-W peak output power.
Address Correspondence To

Managed care is reshaping our health care system, although long-term care is only beginning to feel its effects. We report on the managed care involvement of 492 multilevel, long-term care facilities (MLFs; including skilled nursing and assisted/independent living) nationally. Organizational structure and culture and especially environmental characteristics are associated with whether facilities have contracts with managed care organizations (MCOs), plan to have contracts, are only gathering information on MCOs, or intend to do nothing in the near future. Resource dependence theory best explains MCO contracting patterns with MLFs appearing to be responding more to survival than to growth. The rapid growth of managed care in health services is a classic example of a changing environment that is forcing a number of different organizations to change in order to survive. The implications of managed care for hospitals, doctors, and other acute care providers and their patients are regularly reported in both the academic and popular press (Brodie, Brady, & Altman, 1998; " Managed Care Evolution, " 1997). In contrast, the consequences of managed care for long-term care has received little attention except for studies of innovative programs such as Programs for the The growth of managed care is substantially changing the financing and re-ferral environment for long-term care providers. The long-term care system developed under a mixture of free market incentives and regulatory constraints. Although fee-for-service reimbursements gave long-term care organizations flexibility in providing services , government regulations placed limits on the industry through certificate-of-need requirements, licensing and certification standards, and, since the late 1970s, restrictive public reimbursements. The end result is that most long-term care facilities have operated historically under a tradition of reaction rather than innovation (Kane, 1996). Organization theory points to both internal and external sources of change in complex institutions such as long-term care. Resource dependence theory views organizations as actively seeking opportunities for growth and avoiding threats to their survival. Changes in environmental resources are particularly important causes of organizational changes, according to this perspective (Scott, 1998). A complementary perspective is the institutional model that emphasizes cultural controls both internal and external to the organization (Powell & Friedkin, 1987). The growth of managed care provides an environmental challenge to long-term care institutions , whereas the existing framework for long-term care and the organizational cultures of its providers provide boundaries on what long-term care organizations may consider viable and legitimate changes. Managed care has been growing rapidly …
Third National Communication on Climate Change

The implementation of the Communication will contribute in the reduction of GHG emissions on the National level and adaptation of the most vunerable sectors to climate change, as well as for reduction of pollution in the environmental medias and areas. Vunerability has been identified almost in all analyzed sectors, which generally refers to absence/lack of institutional capacities, legally defined and aligned competences and responsibilities, lack of continuity in collection and monitoring of the required data, insufficient knowledge/consciousness about the reasons and consequences from climate change, as well as measures for mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
Retention in mental health care of Portuguese-speaking patients

We compared service outcomes of dedicated language and cultural competency services in adequacy of care, ER, and inpatient care among Portuguese-speaking patients in ethnic- and non-ethnic-specific behavioral health clinics. We assessed adequacy of mental health care, and use of inpatient emergency department among Portuguese-speaking patients, comparing individuals receiving care from a culturally and linguistically competent mental health care setting (the Portuguese Mental Health Program [PMHP]) with usual mental health care in a community health care system in the USA. Propensity score matching was used to balance patients in treatment and control groups on gender, marital status, age, diagnosis of mental disorder, and insurance status. We used de-identified, longitudinal, administrative data of 854 Portuguese-speaking patients receiving care from the PMHP and 541 Portuguese-speaking patients receiving usual care from 2005–2008. Adequate treatment was defined as receipt of at least eight outpatient psychotherapy visits, or at least four outpatient visits of which one was a psychopharmacological visit. PMHP patients were more likely to receive adequate care. No differences were found in rates of ER use or inpatient mental health care. The present study suggests increased quality of care for patients that have contact with a clinic that dedicates resources specifically to a minority/immigrant group. Advantages of this setting include greater linguistic and cultural concordance among providers and patients. Further research is warranted to better understand the mechanisms by which culturally appropriate mental health care settings benefit minority/immigrant patients.
Troponin and Cardiac Events in Stable Ischemic Heart Disease and Diabetes.

BACKGROUND Cardiac troponin concentrations are used to identify patients who would benefit from urgent revascularization for acute coronary syndromes. We hypothesized that they might be used in patients with stable ischemic heart disease to identify those at high risk for cardiovascular events who might also benefit from prompt coronary revascularization. METHODS We measured the cardiac troponin T concentration at baseline with a high-sensitivity assay in 2285 patients who had both type 2 diabetes and stable ischemic heart disease and were enrolled in the Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation in Type 2 Diabetes trial. We tested for an association between the troponin T concentration and a composite end point of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke; we then evaluated whether random assignment to prompt revascularization reduced the rate of the composite end point in patients with an abnormal troponin T concentration (≥14 ng per liter) as compared with those with a normal troponin T concentration (<14 ng per liter). RESULTS Of the 2285 patients, 2277 (99.6%) had detectable (≥3 ng per liter) troponin T concentrations and 897 (39.3%) had abnormal troponin T concentrations at baseline. The 5-year rate of the composite end point was 27.1% among the patients who had had abnormal troponin T concentrations at baseline, as compared with 12.9% among those who had had normal baseline troponin T concentrations. In models that were adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors, severity of diabetes, electrocardiographic abnormalities, and coronary anatomy, the hazard ratio for the composite end point among patients with abnormal troponin T concentrations was 1.85 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 2.32; P<0.001). Among patients with abnormal troponin T concentrations, random assignment to prompt revascularization, as compared with medical therapy alone, did not result in a significant reduction in the rate of the composite end point (hazard ratio, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.25). CONCLUSIONS The cardiac troponin T concentration was an independent predictor of death from cardiovascular causes, myocardial infarction, or stroke in patients who had both type 2 diabetes and stable ischemic heart disease. An abnormal troponin T value of 14 ng per liter or higher did not identify a subgroup of patients who benefited from random assignment to prompt coronary revascularization. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and Roche Diagnostics; BARI 2D ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00006305.).
DENTICLE MORPHOMETRICS AND A POSSIBLY OMNIVOROUS FEEDING HABIT FOR THE THEROPOD DINOSAUR TROODON

: As in many carnivorous vertebrates, the teeth of most theropod dinosaurs are characterized by serrations. Denticle size (or serration coarseness) and its inverse, serra- tion density, scale with relation to absolute tooth size along the same allometric curve for most groups of carnivorous vertebrates. One of the few fossil groups traditionally inter- preted as carnivorous that does not follow this same allometric scale is the theropod dino- saur family Troodontidae. Troodontids differ from all other theropods with the exception of therizinosauroids in that their serrations are particularly coarse; that is, their denticles are larger and correspondingly more widely spaced than expected for a plesiomorphic thero- pod of similar tooth size. Morphometric analysis of the teeth of herbivorous dinosaurs and lizards also show allometric scaling of serration coarseness, with plant-eaters generally having significantly larger denticles than meat-eaters for the same tooth size. The difference in the size of the denticles between herbivores and carnivores may be related to differences in the size and resistance of plant and muscle fibres. Troodon and therizinosauroid serra- tion coarseness plot along the herbivorous rather than the carnivorous curve. Although al- ternative explanations may exist, the denticle morphometrics of Troodon may be a reflection of the inclusion of a significant portion of plant matter in its diet compared to that of other theropods. The enlarged brain, grasping manus, and possible stereoscopic vision of the Troodontidae have traditionaly been interpreted as predatory adaptations. However, this same suite of characters is found in some herbivorous or omnivorous mammals; and, thus, may reflect a feeding habit in Troodon that involved the processing of a significant amount of plant matter.
Integrative Biology

Synopsis Effective cardiac contraction during each heart-beat relies on the coordination of an electrical wave of excitation propagating across the heart. Dynamically induced heterogeneous wave propagation may fracture and initiate reentry-based cardiac arrhythmias, during which fast-rotating electrical waves lead to repeated self-excita-tion that compromises cardiac function and potentially results in sudden cardiac death. Species which function effectively over a large range of heart temperatures must balance the many interacting, temperature-sensitive biochemical processes to maintain normal wave propagation at all temperatures. To investigate how these species avoid dangerous states across temperatures, we optically mapped the electrical activity across the surfaces of alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis ) hearts at 23˚C and 38˚C over a range of physiological heart rates and compare them with that of rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ). We find that unlike rabbits, alligators show minimal changes in wave parameters (action potential duration and conduction velocity) which complement each other to retain similar electrophysiological wavelengths across temperatures and pacing frequencies. The cardiac electrophysiology of rabbits accommodates the high heart rates necessary to sustain an active and endothermic metabolism at the cost of increased risk of cardiac arrhythmia and critical vulnerability to temperature changes, whereas that of alligators allows for effective function over a range of heart temperatures without risk of cardiac electrical arrhythmias such as fibrillation, but is restricted to low heart rates.
Eecient Buuer Sharing in Shared Memory Atm Systems with Space Priority T Raac

In this paper we study the problem of the optimal design of bu er management policies for a shared memory ATM switch or demultiplexer fed by tra c containing two different space priorities. We present the properties of the optimal policy within the class of pushout and expelling policies that minimizes total weighted cell loss. A numerical study of the optimal policies for small bu er sizes based on the value iteration technique is used to help design heuristics applicable to large bu er sizes. Simulation studies for large bu er systems is then presented.