Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease with laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication: prospective evaluation of 100 patients with "typical" symptoms.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate prospectively the outcome of laparoscopic fundoplication in a large cohort of patients with typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA The development of laparoscopic fundoplication over the past several years has resulted in renewed interest in the surgical treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS One hundred patients with typical symptoms of GERD were studied. The study was limited to patients with positive 24-hour pH studies and "typical" symptoms of GERD. Laparoscopic fundoplication was performed when clinical assessment suggested adequate esophageal motility and length. Outcome measures included assessment of the relief of the primary symptom responsible for surgery; the patient's and the physician's evaluation of outcome; quality of life evaluation; repeated upper endoscopy in 30 patients with presurgical esophagitis; and postsurgical physiologic studies in 28 unselected patients, consisting of 24-hour esophageal pH and lower esophageal sphincter manometry. RESULTS Relief of the primary symptom responsible for surgery was achieved in 96% of patients at a mean follow-up of 21 months. Seventy-one patients were asymptomatic, 24 had minor gastrointestinal symptoms not requiring medical therapy, 3 had gastrointestinal symptoms requiring medical therapy, and 2 were worsened by the procedure. Eighty-three patients considered themselves cured, 11 were improved, and 1 was worse. Occasional difficulty swallowing not present before surgery occurred in 7 patients at 3 months, and decreased to 2 patients by 12 months after surgery. There were no deaths. Clinically significant complications occurred in four patients. Median hospital stay was 3 days, decreasing from 6.3 in the first 10 patients to 2.3 in the last 10 patients. Endoscopic esophagitis healed in 28 of 30 patients who had presurgical esophagitis and returned for follow-up endoscopy. Twenty-four-hour esophageal acid exposure had returned to normal in 26 of 28 patients studied after surgery. Lower esophageal sphincter pressures had also returned to normal in all patients, increasing from a median of 5.1 mmHg to 14.9 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication provides an excellent symptomatic and physiologic outcome in patients with proven gastroesophageal reflux and "typical" symptoms. This can be achieved with a hospital stay of 48 hours and a low incidence of postsurgical complications.
Why Does Zimbabwe Export Manufactures and Uganda Not? Econometrics Meets History

Uganda and Zimbabwe are predicted on the basis of their human and natural resources, to have similar shares of manufactures in their exports However, Uganda falls a long way short of the predicted share, while Zimbabwe greatly exceeds it. Uganda's manufactured export share is unusually small mainly because of high transport costs, due to its distance from the sea and inadequate infrastructure. Zimbabwe's manufactured export share is unusually big mainly because its comparative advantage in manufacturing was enhanced by the know-how brought in by European settlers and a long-term policy of promoting the sector.
Full‐Length and Truncated Alzheimer Amyloid Precursors in Chromaffin Granules: Solubilization of Membrane Amyloid Precursor Is Mediated by an Enzymatic Mechanism

Abstract: The amyloid β peptide (Aβ) of Alzheimer disease is derived from the proteolytic processing of the amyloid precursor proteins (APPs), which are considered type I transmembrane proteins. Here we report that the soluble fraction of isolated adrenal medullary chromaffin granules (CG), a model neuronal secretory vesicle system, contains an antigen that immunochemically and on sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was indistinguishable from full‐length APP. A truncated APP fragment with intact Aβ sequence was also detected in the soluble fraction of CG. In vitro experiments showed that full‐length APP was solubilized from CG membranes at 37°C as a function of pH, with a peak of activity between pH 8.5 and pH 9.0. Solubilization of full‐length APP was inhibited by several protease inhibitors, including aprotinin, cystatin, and iodoacetamide, by the divalent cations Ca2+ and Zn2+, and by preheating of the membranes. These results are consistent with and suggest the involvement of an enzymatic mechanism in the solubilization of potentially amyloidogenic full‐length APP. Production of Aβ from a transmembrane APP predicts a proteolytic cleavage within the lipid bilayer, a site relatively inaccessible to proteases. Thus, the detected soluble, potentially amyloidogenic, full‐length APP may be a substrate for the proteases producing Aβ. The detection of soluble APP with intact Aβ sequence in secretory vesicles is consistent with the extracellular topology of amyloid depositions.
Effect of glutamine on the initiation and promotion phases of DMBA-induced mammary tumor development.

BACKGROUND Oral glutamine (GLN) has been shown to up-regulate tissue glutathione (GSH), augment natural killer (NK) cell activity, and prevent tumor growth in an implantable breast cancer model (MTF-7). We hypothesized that dietary GLN would likewise antagonize the induction or promotion of tumor formation by 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) via up-regulation of GSH or augmentation of NK activity. METHODS At age 55 days, 81 Sprague-Dawley rats were gavaged with a one-time dose of 80 mg/kg DMBA, time 0. Rats were randomized into 3 groups (GLN+DMBA, Freamine [FA]+DMBA, water (H2O)+DMBA), pair-fed chow, and gavaged with 1.0 g/kg/day GLN or isonitrogenous amount of FA or H2O for the indicated times: PreFed (-1 to + 16 weeks), Short-Fed (-1 to + 1 weeks) and PostFed (+ 1 to +16 weeks). After 16 weeks, rats were killed and examined for mammary tumors, blood was assayed for GLN and GSH content, and spleens were assayed for NK cytotoxicity. RESULTS Over the 4-month study period, there was no significant difference in tumorigenesis between FA and H2O groups, regardless of timing of feeding and amino acid diet, except GLN. In Pre- and PostFed GLN groups, there was no significant difference between groups, but there were significant decreases in tumorigenesis in GLN groups compared with either FA or H2O groups. However, in the Short-Fed group, there was no significant difference in tumorigenesis from the GLN, FA, or H2O groups. CONCLUSIONS Continuously supplemented GLN significantly reduced DMBA-induced breast cancer growth when compared with the non-GLN-supplemented and Short-Fed supplemental GLN groups. Furthermore, GLN appears to have its primary effect on promotion and not initiation of tumor formation. This decreased tumor formation was associated with significantly higher arterial GLN and GSH levels and NK activity at killing in the GLN+DMBA group. Protein in the presentation of FA did not promote or prevent tumor growth. These data indicate that GLN may be useful in the chemoprevention of breast cancer.
NAD+‐Dependent DNA Ligase: A novel target waiting for the right inhibitor

DNA ligases (EC.6.5.1.1) are key enzymes that catalyze the formation of phosphodiester bonds at single stranded or double stranded breaks between adjacent 5′ phosphoryl and 3′ hydroxyl groups of DNA. These enzymes are important for survival because they are involved in major cellular processes like DNA replication/repair and recombination. DNA ligases can be classified into two groups on the basis of their cofactor specificities. NAD+‐dependent DNA ligases are present in bacteria, some entomopox viruses and mimi virus while ATP‐dependent DNA ligases are ubiquitous. The former have recently been drawing a lot of attention as novel targets for antibiotics to overcome current drug resistance issues. Currently a diverse range of inhibitors have been identified. There are several issues to be addressed in the quest for optimized inhibitors of the enzyme. In the first part of the review we summarize current structural work on these enzymes. Subsequently we describe the currently available classes of inhibitors. We also address modalities to improve the specificity and potencies of new inhibitors identified using protein structure based rational approaches. In conclusion, NAD+‐dependent ligases show great promise and represent a novel drug target whose time has come. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med Res Rev, 28, No. 4, 545–568, 2008
Blistered: a gene required for vein/intervein formation in wings of Drosophila.

We have characterized the blistered (bs) locus phenotypically, genetically and developmentally using a set of new bs alleles. Mutant defects range from wings with ectopic veins and intervein blisters to completely ballooned wings where the distinction between vein and intervein is lost. Mosaic analyses show that severe bs alleles behave largely autonomously; homozygous patches having vein-like properties. Developmental analyses were undertaken using light and electron microscopy of wild-type and bs wings as well as confocal microscopy of phalloidin- and laminin-stained preparations. bs defects were first seen early in the prepupal period with the failure of apposition of dorsal and ventral wing epithelia. Correspondingly, during definitive vein/intervein differentiation in the pupal period (18-36 hours after puparium formation), the extent of dorsal/ventral reapposition is reduced in bs wings. Regions of the wing that fail to become apposed differentiate properties of vein cells; i.e. become constricted apically and acquire a laminin-containing matrix basally. To further understand bs function, we examined genetic interactions between various bs alleles and mutants of two genes whose products have known functions in wing development. (i) rhomboid, a component of the EGF-R signalling pathway, is expressed in vein cells and is required for specification of vein cell fate. rhove mutations (lacking rhomboid in wings) suppress the excess vein formation and associated with bs. Conversely, rho expression in prepupal and pupal bs wings is expanded in the regions of increased vein formation. (ii) The integrin genes, inflated and myospheroid, are expressed in intervein cells and are required for adhesion between the dorsal and ventral wing surfaces. Loss of integrin function results in intervein blisters. Integrin mutants interact with bs mutants to increase the frequency of intervein blisters but do not typically enhance vein defects. Both developmental and genetic analyses suggest that the bs product is required during metamorphosis for the initiation of intervein development and the concomitant inhibition of vein development.
Decentralized Supply Chain Formation: A Market Protocol and Competitive Equilibrium Analysis

Supply chain formation is the process of determining the structure and terms of exchange relationships to enable a multilevel, multiagent production activity. We present a simple model of supply chains, highlighting two characteristic features: hierarchical subtask decomposition, and resource contention. To decentralize the formation process, we introduce a market price system over the resources produced along the chain. In a competitive equilibrium for this system, agents choose locally optimal allocations with respect to prices, and outcomes are optimal overall. To determine prices, we define a market protocol based on distributed, progressive auctions, and myopic, non-strategic agent bidding policies. In the presence of resource contention, this protocol produces better solutions than the greedy protocols common in the artificial intelligence and multiagent systems literature. The protocol often converges to high-value supply chains, and when competitive equilibria exist, typically to approximate competitive equilibria. However, complementarities in agent production technologies can cause the protocol to wastefully allocate inputs to agents that do not produce their outputs. A subsequent decommitment phase recovers a significant fraction of the lost surplus.
Data-Driven Model for the Dynamic Characteristics of O-Rings for Gas Bearing Supported Rotors

The measurement results of various nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) O-Ring sizes are presented, and reduced-order models are developed in order to predict the stiffness and damping coefficient as a function of O-Ring geometry, Shore hardness, squeeze, and excitation frequency. The results show that the curvature ratio d/D needs to be considered in the reduced-order models. The assessment of the model suggests a maximum deviation of 30% in predicted stiffness compared to the measurement data. However, taking into account the typical Shore hardness tolerance given by O-Ring manufacturers and other measurement uncertainties, the proposed model enables the prediction of various O-Rings with a good accuracy in the frequency range of 1.5–3.75 kHz, which corresponds to typical gas bearing supported rotor applications.
Low viscosity histidine‐tryptophan‐ketoglutarate graft flush improves subsequent extended cold storage in University of Wisconsin solution in an extracorporeal rat liver perfusion and rat liver transplantation model

Adequate flushing for liver donation requires large fluid volumes delivered at a high flow. This can be achieved more effectively with crystalloid solutions than with colloid‐based solutions. This study examined the combination of initial histidine‐tryptophan‐ketoglutarate solution (HTK) graft flush and subsequent storage in University of Wisconsin solution (UW) to that of the single use of each solution. Livers from inbred Wistar rats were procured using aortic perfusion with UW or HTK for initial perfusion and reflushed after 30 minutes using either solution. In a third group, after perfusion with HTK, organs were reflushed with UW. A 60‐minute in‐vitro recirculating perfusion was performed after 24 hours of cold storage in the subsequent solution, as well as allotransplantation after 18 and 24 hours of cold storage. In extracorporeal perfusion, the HTK flush followed by UW storage was superior compared to the single use of either UW or HTK solution, as measured by portal venous pressure, bile flow, liver enzymes released into the effluent perfusate, glycerol leakage, and histological examinations. These data were consistent with the transplantation study. Histological damage and enzyme release after 5‐day survival were lowest in the HTK flush and subsequent UW storage groups following 18 hours of cold storage; likewise, the 5‐day survival was superior following 24 hours of cold storage. In conclusion, the combined use of HTK solution for initial graft rinse and subsequent storage in UW solution resulted in a cumulative protection. Choosing low‐viscosity HTK solution for the initial organ flush may represent a feasible improvement in liver preservation, which also further reduces the required amount of UW solution. Liver Transpl 12:1841‐1849, 2006. © 2006 AASLD.
Adaptive Comfort Control Implemented Model (ACCIM) for Energy Consumption Predictions in Dwellings under Current and Future Climate Conditions: A Case Study Located in Spain

Currently, the knowledge of energy consumption in buildings of new and existing dwellings is essential to control and propose energy conservation measures. Most of the predictions of energy consumption in buildings are based on fixed values related to the internal thermal ambient and pre-established operation hypotheses, which do not reflect the dynamic use of buildings and users’ requirements. Spain is a clear example of such a situation. This study suggests the use of an adaptive thermal comfort model as a predictive method of energy consumption in the internal thermal ambient, as well as several operation hypotheses, and both conditions are combined in a simulation model: the Adaptive Comfort Control Implemented Model (ACCIM). The behavior of ACCIM is studied in a representative case of the residential building stock, which is located in three climate zones with different characteristics (warm, cold, and mild climates). The analyses were conducted both in current and future scenarios with the aim of knowing the advantages and limitations in each climate zone. The results show that the average consumption of the current, 2050, and 2080 scenarios decreased between 23% and 46% in warm climates, between 19% and 25% in mild climates, and between 10% and 29% in cold climates by using such a predictive method. It is also shown that this method is more resilient to climate change than the current standard. This research can be a starting point to understand users’ climate adaptation to predict energy consumption.
Cross-layer lifetime maximization under reliability and stability constraints in wireless sensor networks

We investigate the problem of lifetime maximization in a wireless sensor network under the constraint of target end-to-end transmission success probability, by adopting a cross-layer strategy that considers physical layer (i.e., power control), MAC layer (i.e., ARQ control) and network layer (i.e., routing protocol) jointly. We first present a near-optimal retry limit allocation algorithm for a given routing path. This allocation determines the per-hop success probability for each link along the path in order to minimize the total energy consumption while guaranteeing the reliability constraint. Then, we develop an optimal routing and power control algorithm that maximizes the network lifetime while keeping the network stable, and an alternative heuristic algorithm that has lower and tractable complexity. Simulation results reveal that a trade-off relation exists between the network lifetime maximization and the reliability constraints and that the network lifetime can be increased significantly by employing the proposed algorithms.
Improving Work Integrated Learning through Implementing Internship Performance Indicators

In applied programs, there is a growing expectation for students to be workready at the end of their undergraduate and graduate studies. Work integrated learning is a strategy that enmeshes applied and practical experience with academic courses to offer integrated learning and a connection between post-secondary education and the workplace. Students in tourism and hospitality programs across British Columbia were surveyed along with their internship employers to better understand their perceptions of internship programs across the province. With 46 of 93 students and 14 of 55 employers responding, the research discovered that participants are generally satisfied, with the internship programs rated at 85% above average or excellent. The ability to use skills and knowledge from the classroom in the work environment is a particularly strong aspect of internship, bridging theory, applied learning, and practice. Some areas for improvement, though, include better communication between employers, students, and supervisors, as well as broader internship opportunities. The findings also supported previous research regarding the potential disconnects between student expectations of internships and student internship performance evaluations completed by employers. The research demonstrated that internship programs continue to be an important aspect of the undergraduate and graduate learning experience and should be supported. * 66 Engaging Students in Life-Changing Learning
StAR-related Lipid Transfer (START) Proteins: Mediators of Intracellular Lipid Metabolism*

StAR-related lipid transfer (START) domains are 210-amino acid lipid binding domains implicated in intracellular lipid transport, lipid metabolism, and cell signaling events. The prototype is the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), which transfers cholesterol to mitochondria in steroid hormone-producing cells (1). START domains are found in an extensive protein family, including START domain only and multidomain proteins, but lipid ligands have only been identified in a few cases (2). The human and mouse genomes each have 15 genes encoding START domains (Table I), and phylogenetic analysis divides the family into six subfamilies (Fig. 1, A and B) (3). X-ray crystal structures have been solved for the MLN64 START domain (4), StarD4 (5), and phosphatidylcholine transfer protein (PCTP) (6). All three share the same helix-grip fold (7), with -helices at the N and C termini separated by nine -strands and two shorter -helices. The curved -sheet forms a deep pocket with the C-terminal -helix acting as a lid, resulting in an internal hydrophobic cavity (Fig. 2). The START structure differs from other hydrophobic cavity lipid-binding proteins, such as sterol carrier protein 2 (SCP-2) (8), phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (PITP) (9), and the fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) (10). The PCTP structure was reported with a phosphatidylcholine (PC) molecule in the cavity (6), whereas the MLN64 and StarD4 structures contain cavities large enough ( 850 A) to accommodate a cholesterol ligand ( 740 A) (5). In each structure, lipid entry or egress would require a major conformational change, most likely opening or unfolding of the C-terminal -helix lid. In fact, this helix of PCTP has been implicated in membrane binding and PC extraction (11). Furthermore, StAR can form partially unfolded states (12) and loses helical content upon binding a cholesterol analogue (13). Recent modeling of StAR using structure-based thermodynamics showed that an open lid conformational state can exist at equilibrium and that cholesterol binding and lid closure would significantly stabilize the complex (14).
A contextual approach to information privacy research

In this position article, we synthesize various knowledge gaps in information privacy scholarship and propose a research agenda that promotes greater cross‐disciplinary collaboration within the iSchool community and beyond. We start by critically examining Westin's conceptualization of information privacy and argue for a contextual approach that holds promise for overcoming some of Westin's weaknesses. We then highlight three contextual considerations for studying privacy—digital networks, marginalized populations, and the global context—and close by discussing how these considerations advance privacy theorization and technology design.
Predictors of Regional Lymph Node Recurrence after Initial Thyroidectomy in Patients with Thyroid Cancer

Background. Regional lymph node recurrence (RLNR) is common in patients with thyroid cancer but clinicopathological predictors are unclear. We aimed to clarify these predictors and identify patients who would benefit from prophylactic lymph node dissection the most. Method. 343 patients with different types of thyroid cancer were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy between 2007 and 2013. Results. The median ± interquartile range of patients' age was 40 ± 25 years. 245 (71.4%) patients were female. Regarding the risk of regional lymph node recurrence, we found that male gender, age ≥45 years, non-PTC (i.e., medullary, follicular, and anaplastic types) histopathology, T3 (i.e., tumor size >4 cm in the greatest dimension limited to the thyroid or any tumor with minimal extrathyroid extension), stage IVa, and isolated cervical lymphadenopathy as initial manifestation (ICL) are significant risk factors. T3 (p < 0.001; odds ratio = 156.41, 95% CI [55.72–439.1]) and ICL (p < 0.001; odds ratio = 77.79, 95% CI [31.55–191.81]) were the strongest predictors of regional lymph node recurrence. Conclusion. We found easily achievable risk factors for RLNR in thyroid cancers patients. We suggested that patients with specific clinicopathological features like male gender, age ≥45 years, larger tumor size, and extrathyroidal extension be considered as prophylactic lymphadenectomy candidates.