Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ALK receptor tyrosine kinase promotes cell growth and neurite outgrowth

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a receptor-type protein tyrosine kinase that is expressed preferentially in neurons of the central and peripheral nervous systems at late embryonic stages. To elucidate the role of ALK in neurons, we developed an agonist monoclonal antibody (mAb) against the extracellular domain of ALK. Here we show that mAb16-39 elicits tyrosine phosphorylation of endogenously expressed ALK in human neuroblastoma (SK-N-SH) cells. Stimulation of these cells with mAb16-39 markedly induces the tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), Shc, and c-Cbl and also their interaction with ALK and activation of ERK1/2. Furthermore, we show that continuous incubation with mAb16-39 induces the cell growth and neurite outgrowth of SK-N-SH cells. These responses are completely blocked by MEK inhibitor PD98059 but not by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor wortmannin, indicating an essential role of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) signaling cascade in ALK-mediated growth and differentiation of neurons.
On the structure of vowel space: a genealogy of general phonetic concepts

This paper gives an overview and an analysis of representative vowel space depictions found in the phonetic literature of the past four centuries. A visual representation of 24 selected structural proposals with time is given in poster form, after translation to a common notation. A first-order approach is developed by which the distance between any pair of vowel schemes may be measured. Using these distances and other considerations, trends are detected and major innovations identified. An attempt is then made to trace the genealogy of five general phonetic concepts concerning the structure of vowel space: discretizing the continuum, the assumption of symmetry, triangular vs. square arrangements, the development of ‘roundedness’ as an independent dimension and the treatment of ‘central’ vowels. Such a historical perspective is deemed necessary for a full appreciation and utilization of the current vowel schemes.
Do autonomously motivated students benefit from collaborative learning methods?

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors affecting motivation and whether these factors support students' autonomy. Students were interviewed in order to study the impact of collaborative learning study arrangements on the their motivation. The data was then analyzed using self-determination theory. The study showed that it is possible to build structured courses utilizing collaborative learning and interactive engagement methods such that autonomy is supported. The interviews showed that if there is room for autonomously motivated students to choose their approach to work in the groups, the group work engages students through social relatedness.
Who Is Most Likely to Migrate from Albania?: Evidence from the Albania Living Standards Measurement Survey

This paper uses the Albania Living Standards Measurement Survey from 2002 to examine the factors that render an individual most prone to international migration. The analysis uses novel data on whether individuals ever considered migrating abroad. The econometric models describe the data well and appear well specified on the basis of diagnostic tests. The estimated results are generally consistent with findings from the empirical literature on the willingness to migrate. It is salutary that the usual characteristics emerge as determining factors, with age, gender, employment status, and education all exerting predictable influences on migration risk. There is also a strong role detected for local labor market conditions and community-level variables that capture, among other things, the prevalence of crime.
CDKN2A is the main susceptibility gene in Italian pancreatic cancer families

Background Most familial pancreatic cancer (FPC) remains unexplained. The identification of individuals with a high genetic risk of developing pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC) is important to elucidate its biological basis and is critical to better define emerging strategies for the detection of early pancreatic neoplasms. Patients and methods A series of 225 consecutively enrolled patients with PC were tested for CDKN2A mutations. After personal and family cancer histories of all the patients had been reviewed, a subset of the patients were classified as FPC and were also tested for mutations in PALLD, PALB2, BRCA1 and BRCA2 as FPC candidate genes. Results The CDKN2A mutation rate in the 225 PC cases was 5.7%. The CDKN2A founder mutations, p.E27X and p.G101W, were predominant, but the mutation spectrum also included p.L65P, p.G67R and two novel, potentially pathogenic variants, promoter variant c. -201ACTC>CTTT and p.R144C. None of the patients with FPC harboured germline mutations in PALLD, PALB2 or BRCA2. One family was positive for the BRCA1 UV variant p.P727L. Strikingly, five of 16 patients with FPC (31%) carried CDKN2A mutations. Conclusion These findings suggest that a sizeable subset of Italian FPC families may carry CDKN2A mutations. This result may be of value for identifying the best candidates for future PC screening trials in Italy.
Monitoring of arrhythmia and sudden death in a hemodialysis population: The CRASH-ILR Study

Introduction It has been suggested that sudden cardiac death (SCD) contributes around 50% of cardiovascular and 27% of all-cause mortality in hemodialysis patients. The true burden of arrhythmias and arrhythmic deaths in this population, however, remains poorly characterised. Cardio Renal Arrhythmia Study in Hemodialysis (CRASH-ILR) is a prospective, implantable loop recorder single centre study of 30 established hemodialysis patients and one of the first to provide long-term ambulatory ECG monitoring. Methods 30 patients (60% male) aged 68±12 years receiving hemodialysis for 45±40 months with varied etiology (diabetes 37%, hypertension 23%) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 55±8% received a Reveal XT implantable loop recorder (Medtronic, USA) between August 2011 and October 2014. ECG data from loop recorders were transmitted at each hemodialysis session using a remote monitoring system. Primary outcome was SCD or implantation of a (tachy or bradyarrhythmia controlling) device and secondary outcome, the development of arrhythmia necessitating medical intervention. Results During 379,512 hours of continuous ECG monitoring (mean 12,648±9,024 hours/patient), there were 8 deaths—2 SCD and 6 due to generalised deterioration/sepsis. 5 (20%) patients had a primary outcome event (2 SCD, 3 pacemaker implantations for bradyarrhythmia). 10 (33%) patients reached an arrhythmic primary or secondary end point. Median event free survival for any arrhythmia was 2.6 years (95% confidence intervals 1.6–3.6 years). Conclusions The findings confirm the high mortality rate seen in hemodialysis populations and contrary to initial expectations, bradyarrhythmias emerged as a common and potentially significant arrhythmic event.
The rates of HIV superinfection and primary HIV incidence in a general population in Rakai, Uganda.

BACKGROUND Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) superinfection has been documented in high-risk individuals; however, the rate of superinfection among HIV-infected individuals within a general population remains unknown. METHODS A novel next-generation ultra-deep sequencing technique was utilized to determine the rate of HIV superinfection in a heterosexual population by examining two regions of the viral genome in longitudinal samples from recent HIV seroconverters (n=149) in Rakai District, Uganda. RESULTS The rate of superinfection was 1.44 per 100 person years (PYs) (95% confidence interval [CI], .4-2.5) and consisted of both inter- and intrasubtype superinfections. This was compared to primary HIV incidence in 20 220 initially HIV-negative individuals in the general population in Rakai (1.15 per 100 PYs; 95% CI, 1.1-1.2; P= .26). Propensity score matching (PS) was used to control for differences in sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics between the HIV-positive individuals at risk for superinfection and the HIV-negative population at baseline and follow-up. After PS matching, the estimated rate of primary incidence was 3.28 per 100 PYs (95% CI, 2.0-5.3; P = .07) controlling for baseline differences and 2.51 per 100 PYs (95% CI, 1.5-4.3; P = .24) controlling for follow-up differences. CONCLUSIONS This suggests that the rate of HIV superinfection in a general population is substantial, which could have a significant impact on future public health and HIV vaccine strategies.
First-generation vs second-generation antipsychotic drugs: The ongoing saga

Sir, I have read the letter to editor by Dasgupta and Dasgupta with interest. [1] In this year, we have some more publications shedding more light in this area. It is a very intricate area and one should be cautious in interpreting the evidence. Firstly, we have evidences from both efficacy vs effectiveness trial like CATIE (Clinical antipsychotic trials in intervention effectiveness), and CUTLASS (Cost utility of the latest antipsychotics in severe schizophrenia). Effectiveness trials or practical clinical trials are more informative and can easily be applied to practice. Secondly, second-generation antipsychotic drugs (or atypical antipsychotics) are not a homogenous category, they differ both in terms of effects and side effects; hence, when comparing to first-generation drugs, we should be cautious about generalization of the findings. [2] The superiority of clozapine, especially in treatment-resistant patients, has been established. The position of other second-generation antipsychotic drugs, in comparison to first-generation antipsychotic drugs, remains uncertain.
Aquatic environmental risk assessment for human use of the old antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in Europe

Sulfamethoxazole (SMX) is an old sulfonamide antibiotic that was launched first in combination with trimethoprim in 1969 by F.Hoffmann‐La Roche. Although sales figures for SMX have been declining over the past 20 yr, the compound is still widely used; moreover, many measured environmental concentrations (MECs) are available from Europe, the United States, Asia, Australia, and Africa. To assess aquatic risks of SMX in Europe, the exposure of European surface waters was predicted based on actual sales figures from IMS Health, incorporating environmental fate data on one side, and based on collated MECs representing more than 5500 single measurements in Europe on the other. Environmental effects were assessed using chronic and subchronic ecotoxicity data for 16 groups of aquatic organisms, from periphyton communities to cyanobacteria, algae, higher plants, various invertebrates, and vertebrates. Predicted no‐effect concentrations (PNECs) were derived using both deterministic and probabilistic methodology. The predicted environmental concentration (PEC)/PNEC and MEC/PNEC comparisons overall showed no appreciable risk, except in a low incidence (<0.55%) of cases in which exceptionally high MECs led to MEC/PNEC risk characterization ratios greater than 1. The PNECs derived in the present study can be used to extend aquatic environmental risk assessment for SMX to other continents. No risk appears for indirect human exposure to SMX via the environment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:767–779. © 2015 SETAC
Nurse Leaders’ Experiences of Implementing Regulatory Changes in Sexual Health Nursing Practice in British Columbia, Canada

Most research about regulatory policy change concerning expanded nursing activities has emphasized advanced practice roles and acute care settings. This study is a contribution to the small pool of research concerned with regulatory policy implementation for nurses undertaking expanded nursing practice activities in a public health context. Using the regulatory changes in certified nursing practice in one Canadian province as our starting point, we investigated the experiences of nurse leaders in implementing this change. Using a qualitative interpretive descriptive approach informed by tenets of complexity theory, we examined the experiences of 16 nurse leaders as situated within the larger public health care system in which nurses practice. Two interrelated themes, (a) preparing for certification and (b) the certification process, were identified to illustrate how competing and contrasting demands between health care and regulatory organizations created substantial barriers to policy change. Implications for health service delivery and future research are discussed.
Voltage lead errors in an AC Josephson voltage standard: Explanation in terms of standing waves

A pulse-driven AC Josephson voltage standard generates calculable AC voltage signals at low temperatures, whereas measurements are performed with a device under test at room temperature. The voltage leads cause the output voltage to show deviations that scale with the frequency squared. So far, these deviations where thought of as a resonance, that could be damped, filtered or corrected for. However, in this paper calculations and measurements are presented that show that the problem is caused by standing waves. Solutions are thought for trying to minimize or compensate the reflection of waves.
Factors associated with the severity and progression of self-reported hand pain and functional difficulty in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Hand problems are common in older adults and cause significant pain and disruption to everyday living. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize evidence on the factors associated with the severity and progression of self-reported hand pain and functional difficulty in population-based studies of older adults. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAL, BNI, AMED, HMIC, PsycINFO and ISI Web of Knowledge were searched up to January 2011 for relevant articles. The search strategy combined text words for hand, pain, function and epidemiological study. Inclusion criteria were applied and articles in the review assessed for quality using the QUality In Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) assessment tool. Data extraction included: author, year of publication, study location, participant inclusion criteria, risk factor and outcome measurement, and association with hand pain and/or function. RESULTS Seven articles from five studies met the inclusion criteria from 5,679 citations. All studies were cross-sectional and provided no information on progression of hand pain and function over time. Factors associated with limited hand function were older age, female gender, manual occupation, neck or shoulder pain, clinical and radiographic osteoarthritis, weaker hand strength, hand pain, history of Parkinson's disease, stroke, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, and illness perceptions (namely, frustration, impact and symptom count). Key factors associated with hand pain severity were age, impact, frustration, patient expectation of a long disease time course and self-reported diagnosis of the cause of the hand problem. CONCLUSIONS Both demographic and clinical factors were found to be related to self-reported hand pain severity and functional difficulty in older adults; however, the results were derived from a small number of studies, with no information on progression of hand pain and functional difficulty over time.
No detectable resistance to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate after 6 years of therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis B

One major challenge in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B is to maintain long‐term viral suppression without promoting the selection of drug‐resistant mutations. We analyzed data from 347 hepatitis B e antigen‐negative and 238 hepatitis B e antigen‐positive patients receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in an open‐label, long‐term extension of two phase 3 studies. To date, resistance analyses have been completed for patients receiving up to 288 weeks (6 years) of TDF. Population sequencing of hepatitis B virus (HBV) polymerase/reverse transcriptase (pol/RT) was attempted for all patients at baseline, and any patient who remained viremic (HBV DNA ≥400 copies/mL [≥69 IU/mL]) at week 288 or at the end of treatment with TDF (n = 52) or emtricitabine (FTC)/TDF (n = 7). Phenotypic analyses were performed in HepG2 cells using recombinant HBV containing patient pol/RT sequences. Approximately half of the patients on open‐label treatment who qualified for genotyping had pol/RT sequence changes compared to baseline (23/52 [44%] on TDF, 4/7 [57%] on FTC/TDF). Most changes were at polymorphic sites and none were associated with TDF resistance. Virologic breakthrough occurred infrequently and was associated with nonadherence to study medication in the majority of cases (12/16, 75%). Per protocol, 57 patients (10%) were eligible to switch to FTC/TDF; the majority had HBV DNA <400 copies/mL at their last study visit regardless of whether they switched to FTC/TDF (n = 34) or maintained TDF monotherapy (n = 17). No patient exhibited persistent viremia (HBV DNA never <400 copies/mL) after week 240. Conclusion: TDF monotherapy maintains effective suppression of HBV DNA through 288 weeks of treatment with no evidence of TDF resistance. (Hepatology 2014;59:434–442)
Imported fire ants near the edge of their range: disturbance and moisture determine prevalence and impact of an invasive social insect.

1. Habitat disturbance and species invasions interact in natural systems, making it difficult to isolate the primary cause of ecosystem degradation. A general understanding requires case studies of how disturbance and invasion interact across a variety of ecosystem - invasive species combinations. 2. Dramatic losses in ant diversity followed the invasion of central Texas by red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta). However, recent manipulative studies in Florida revealed no effect on ant diversity following the removal of S. invicta from a disturbed pasture habitat, but moderate loss of diversity associated with their introduction into undisturbed habitat and no invasion occurred without disturbance. Thus, the importance of S. invicta in driving diversity loss and its ability to invade undisturbed systems is unresolved. 3. We examine the distribution and abundance of a large monogyne S. invicta population and its association with the co-occurring ant assemblage at a site in south Texas close to the aridity tolerance limit of S. invicta. 4. We document that moisture modulates S. invicta densities. Further, soil disturbing habitat manipulations greatly increase S. invicta population densities. However, S. invicta penetrates all habitats regardless of soil disturbance history. In contrast, controlled burns depress S. invicta densities. 5. In habitats where S. invicta is prevalent, it completely replaces native fire ants. However, S. invicta impacts native ants as a whole less strongly. Intriguingly, native ants responded distinctly to S. invicta in different environments. In wet, undisturbed environments, high S. invicta abundance disrupts the spatial structure of the ant assemblage by increasing clumping and is associated with reduced species density, while in dry-disturbed habitats, sites with high S. invicta abundance possess high numbers of native species. Analyses of co-occurrence indicate that reduced species density in wet-undisturbed sites arises from negative species interactions between native ants and S. invicta. However, these same data suggest that the high native species density of abundant S. invicta sites in dry-disturbed environments does not result from facilitation. 6. Monogyne S. invicta populations play different roles in different environments, driving ant diversity loss in some, but being largely symptomatic of habitat disturbance in others.
Egoistic and moralistic self-enhancement in the eye of the beholder: a cross-informant study.

This study was conceived to assess the agreement between self- and other reports of egoistic (E) and moralistic (M) self-enhancement (SE). A self-report scale assessing E-SE and M-SE was filled out by 304 participants (mean age = 39.11, SD = 10.12, 54% female). The scale, with items worded in third person, was also completed by 304 informants (one for each target participant). Data were subjected to a correlated-traits correlated-methods model. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded two distinct factors for both self- and other ratings of E-SE and M-SE. A significant correlation across raters was observed for each factor. Proportion of trait variance was . 58 for E-SE and . 35 for M-SE. Proportion of method variance was . 24 and . 41, respectively. E-SE and M-SE were substantially correlated within each data source. However, the two measures became orthogonal after method variance was partialed out. Measures of E-SE and M-SE include both trait and artifactual components of variance, which are likely to reflect individual differences in the style of self-presentation and response bias (i.e., tendencies to exaggerate agentic and communal qualities). The trait components of E-SE and M-SE represent two unrelated tendencies that can be captured and distinguished not only through self-judgments, but also by an external observer.
The Distribution of Wealth and Fiscal Policy in Economies with Finitely Lived Agents

We study the dynamics of the distribution of wealth in an overlapping generation economy with finitely lived agents and intergenerational transmission of wealth. Financial markets are incomplete, exposing agents to both labor and capital income risk. We show that the stationary wealth distribution is a Pareto distribution in the right tail and that it is capital income risk, rather than labor income, that drives the properties of the right tail of the wealth distribution. We also study analytically the dependence of the distribution of wealth—of wealth inequality in particular—on various fiscal policy instruments like capital income taxes and estate taxes, and on different degrees of social mobility. We show that capital income and estate taxes can significantly reduce wealth inequality, as do institutions favoring social mobility. Finally, we calibrate the economy to match the Lorenz curve of the wealth distribution of the U.S. economy.
Dynamic emulation of mechanical loads using a vector-controlled induction motor-generator set

This paper addresses the problem of electronic emulation of both linear and nonlinear mechanical loads using a vector-controlled induction machine dynamometer. It is shown that a basic emulation scheme where the dynamometer torque demand is derived from the inverse dynamics of the emulated load is not generally viable, especially if the emulated load is part of a closed-loop speed control system. A new feedforward speed-tracking control scheme for the dynamometer is presented, which preserves the load dynamics and allows for emulation of a large class of nonlinear loads. An experimental rig is described using vector-controlled induction machines as the drive motor and dynamometer, and experimental results showing excellent emulation of both linear and nonlinear load dynamics are presented.
Revalidation of description of constipation in terms of recall bias and visual scale analog questionnaire

Background and Aim: The present study was designed to identify a cut‐off value to define subjective and relatively objective criteria of constipation using the visual scale analog questionnaire (VSAQ) in healthy subjects. In addition, the importance of recall bias when evaluating constipation was investigated by repeating the questionnaire and ensuring the subjects maintained diaries.