Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MECP2, a multi-talented modulator of chromatin architecture.

It has been a long trip from 1992, the year of the discovery of MECP2, to the present day. What is surprising is that some of the pivotal roles of MeCP2 were already postulated at that time, such as repression of inappropriate expression from repetitive elements and the regulation of pericentric heterochromatin condensation. However, MeCP2 performs many more functions. MeCP2 is a reader of epigenetic information contained in methylated (and hydroxymethylated) DNA, moving from the 'classical' CpG doublet to the more complex view addressed by the non-CpG methylation, which is a feature of the postnatal brain. MECP2 is a transcriptional repressor, although when it forms complexes with the appropriate molecules, it can become a transcriptional activator. For all of these aspects, Rett syndrome, which is caused by MECP2 mutations, is considered a paradigmatic example of a 'chromatin disorder'. Even if the hunt for bona-fide MECP2 target genes is far from concluded today, the role of MeCP2 in the maintenance of chromatin architecture appears to be clearly established. Taking a cue from the non-scientific literature, we can firmly attest that MeCP2 is a player with 'a great future behind it'*. *V. Gassmann 'Un grande avvenire dietro le spalle'. TEA Eds.
Mechanism of Oxidative DNA Damage in Diabetes

OBJECTIVE—To investigate potential mechanisms of oxidative DNA damage in a rat model of type 1 diabetes and in murine proximal tubular epithelial cells and primary culture of rat proximal tubular epithelial cells. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Phosphorylation of Akt and tuberin, 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG) levels, and 8-oxoG-DNA glycosylase (OGG1) expression were measured in kidney cortical tissue of control and type 1 diabetic animals and in proximal tubular cells incubated with normal or high glucose. RESULTS—In the renal cortex of diabetic rats, the increase in Akt phosphorylation is associated with enhanced phosphorylation of tuberin, decreased OGG1 protein expression, and 8-oxodG accumulation. Exposure of proximal tubular epithelial cells to high glucose causes a rapid increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation that correlates with the increase in Akt and tuberin phosphorylation. High glucose also resulted in downregulation of OGG1 protein expression, paralleling its effect on Akt and tuberin. Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt significantly reduced high glucose–induced tuberin phosphorylation and restored OGG1 expression. Hydrogen peroxide stimulates Akt and tuberin phosphorylation and decreases OGG1 protein expression. The antioxidant N-acetylcysteine significantly inhibited ROS generation, Akt/protein kinase B, and tuberin phosphorylation and resulted in deceased 8-oxodG accumulation and upregulation of OGG1 protein expression. CONCLUSIONS—Hyperglycemia in type 1 diabetes and treatment of proximal tubular epithelial cells with high glucose leads to phosphorylation/inactivation of tuberin and downregulation of OGG1 via a redox-dependent activation of Akt in renal tubular epithelial cells. This signaling cascade provides a mechanism of oxidative stress–mediated DNA damage in diabetes.
Value-added services in mobile commerce: an analytical framework and empirical findings from a national consumer survey

Although little is known about consumers' attitudes towards wireless marketing channels, many organizations are today making considerable investments to take advantage of the new business possibilities offered by wireless technologies - encouraged by optimistic, yet contradictory forecast on the future volume of m-commerce. This paper highlights the importance of setting out from the consumer perspective when developing m-commerce strategies, proposing an analytical framework that can be used to assess whether; and in what ways, specific mobile services are likely to offer added value for wireless Internet users. The paper reports on a national consumer survey conducted to investigate the Finnish consumers' willingness to use a number of initial mobile services, and to investigate whether consumers recognize the value offered by these applications. The results indicate a rather low willingness to use mobile services in general, but an exceptionally high willingness to use certain applications. The results do not, however; support the supposition that m-commerce is likely to increase the overall volume of Internet commerce significantly by penetrating into untapped markets (non-PC users).
Genetic Divergence and Heritability of 42 Coloured Upland Rice Genotypes (Oryzasativa) as Revealed by Microsatellites Marker and Agro-Morphological Traits

Coloured rice genotypes have greater nutritious value and consumer demand for these varieties is now greater than ever. The documentation of these genotypes is important for the improvement of the rice plant. In this study, 42 coloured rice genotypes were selected for determination of their genetic divergence using 25 simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers and 15 agro-morphological traits. Twenty-one out of the 25 SSR primers showed distinct, reproducible polymorphism. A dendrogram constructed using the SSR primers clustered the 42 coloured rice genotypes into 7 groups. Further, principle component analysis showed 75.28% of total variations were explained by the first—three components. All agro-morphological traits showed significant difference at the (p≤0.05) and (p≤0.01) levels. From the dendrogram constructed using the agro-morphological traits, all the genotypes were clustered into four distinct groups. Pearson’s correlation coefficient showed that among the 15 agro-morphological traits, the yield contributing factor had positive correlation with the number of tillers, number of panicles, and panicle length. The heritability of the 15 traits ranged from 17.68 to 99.69%. Yield per plant and harvest index showed the highest value for both heritability and genetic advance. The information on the molecular and agro-morphological traits can be used in rice breeding programmes to improve nutritional value and produce higher yields.
Making a rational choice between ovariectomy and ovariohysterectomy in the dog: a discussion of the benefits of either technique.

OBJECTIVE To determine if ovariectomy (OVE) is a safe alternative to ovariohysterectomy (OVH) for canine gonadectomy. STUDY DESIGN Literature review. METHODS An on-line bibliographic search in MEDLINE and PubMed was performed in December 2004, covering the period 1969-2004. Relevant studies were compared and evaluated with regard to study design, surgical technique, and both short-term and long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS OVH is technically more complicated, time consuming, and is probably associated with greater morbidity (larger incision, more intraoperative trauma, increased discomfort) compared with OVE. No significant differences between techniques were observed for incidence of long-term urogenital problems, including endometritis/pyometra and urinary incontinence, making OVE the preferred method of gonadectomy in the healthy bitch. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Canine OVE can replace OVH as the procedure of choice for routine neutering of healthy female dogs.
Sufficient conditions for a digraph to be Hamiltonian

We describe a new type of sufficient condition for a digraph to be Hamiltonian. Conditions of this type combine local structure of the digraph with conditions on the degrees of non-adjacent vertices. The main difference from earlier conditions is that we do not require a degree condition on all pairs of non-adjacent vertices. Our results generalize the classical conditions by Ghouila-Houri and Woodall.
Understanding the Cholera Epidemic, Haiti

After onset of a cholera epidemic in Haiti in mid-October 2010, a team of researchers from France and Haiti implemented field investigations and built a database of daily cases to facilitate identification of communes most affected. Several models were used to identify spatiotemporal clusters, assess relative risk associated with the epidemic’s spread, and investigate causes of its rapid expansion in Artibonite Department. Spatiotemporal analyses highlighted 5 significant clusters (p<0.001): 1 near Mirebalais (October 16–19) next to a United Nations camp with deficient sanitation, 1 along the Artibonite River (October 20–28), and 3 caused by the centrifugal epidemic spread during November. The regression model indicated that cholera more severely affected communes in the coastal plain (risk ratio 4.91) along the Artibonite River downstream of Mirebalais (risk ratio 4.60). Our findings strongly suggest that contamination of the Artibonite and 1 of its tributaries downstream from a military camp triggered the epidemic.
Complementary diffusion tensor imaging study of the corpus callosum in patients with first-episode and chronic schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Abnormalities in the corpus callosum have long been implicated in schizophrenia. Previous diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies in patients with different durations of schizophrenia yielded inconsistent results. By comparing patients with different durations of schizophrenia, we investigated if white matter abnormalities of the corpus callosum emerge at an early stage in the illness or result from pathological progression. METHODS We recruited patients with first-episode schizophrenia, patients with chronic schizophrenia and age-, sex- and handedness-matched healthy controls. We used 2 DTI techniques (voxel-based and fibre-tracking DTI) to investigate differences in corpus callosum integrity among the 3 groups. RESULTS With both DTI techniques, significantly decreased fractional anisotropy values were identified in the genu of corpus callosum in patients with chronic schizophrenia, but not first-episode schizophrenia, compared with healthy controls. LIMITATIONS This study was cross-sectional, and the sample size was relatively small. CONCLUSION Abnormalities in the genu of the corpus callosum might be a progressive process in schizophrenia, perhaps related to disease severity and prognosis.
Transient Improvement in Glycemic Control: The impact of pregnancy in women with IDDM

OBJECTIVE Good glycemic control throughout pregnancy in patients with diabetes is of paramount importance but often appears to deteriorate in the postpartum period. The aim of this study was to ascertain the timing of the improvement in glycemic control associated with pregnancy in women with IDDM and to examine changes in glycemic control after delivery. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Peripartum glycemic control was assessed in a retrospective study of 30 women with IDDM whose age was 28 ± 6 years (means ± SD) and whose diabetes duration was 14 ± 6 years. RESULTS Mean total HbA1 fell incrementally from a peak at 2–3 years preconception to a nadir between 24 weeks and term, only to return to preconception levels within a year after delivery. Of the 30 women, 15 (50%) attained an HbA1 in the nondiabetic range for pregnancy at some point during their pregnancy, and 7 (23%) women achieved this by 24 weeks gestation. Women with an HbA1 > 9% at booking had a significantly higher HbA1 at 0–6 and 6–12 months preconception, and throughout pregnancy their HbA1 was significantly higher. After delivery, attendance rates at routine diabetes review clinics were low, with 11% of women not attending for longer than 24 months. CONCLUSIONS Nearly all women with IDDM can achieve near normoglycemia during pregnancy, irrespective of previous glycemic control, although those with high HbA1 levels at booking are less likely to achieve this. After delivery, glycemic control deteriorates. Efforts to improve glycemic control should be intensified in the preconception period and maintained after delivery. The poor postpartum attendance at diabetes clinics requires specific action.
A comparison of periodontal disease in HIV-infected children and household peers: a two year report.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to compare the incidence and progression of periodontal disease in HIV-infected children to HIV-negative household peers. This paper reports the findings after two years. METHODS Children diagnosed as HIV-infected and their household peers were recruited from the Children's Hospital AIDS Program in Newark NJ. A periodontal examination was performed at baseline and at six-month intervals for two years. A total of 121 subjects were examined two years after baseline (68 HIV-infected and 53 controls). These children ranged in age from 2-15 years at baseline. RESULTS Plaque assessment (PHP-M) in HIV-infected cases showed a seven-fold increase over controls for the period. However, there were no significant differences between the two groups in changes over the two years for Bleeding on Probing, Gingival Index or Pocket Depths. There was virtually no recession or pathologic mobility in either group. One-fourth of the HIV-infected group exhibited Linear Gingival Erythema at both baseline and year two. Although the number of subjects with LGE did not increase, there was an increase in the severity of LGE at year 2. CONCLUSION This study suggests that in a medically well-controlled HIV-infected population, with the exception of the prevalence of Linear Gingival Erythema, the periodontal findings are similar to their HIV-negative household peers and to the general pediatric population.
The SAURON project - V. Integral-field emission-line kinematics of 48 elliptical and lenticular galaxies

We present the emission-line fluxes and kinematics of 48 representative elliptical and lenticular galaxies obtained with our custom-built integral-field spectrograph SAURON. Hb, [OIII], and [NI] emission lines were measured using a new procedure that simultaneously fits both the stellar spectrum and the emission lines. Using this technique we can detect emission lines down to an equivalent width of 0.1A set by the current limitations in describing galaxy spectra with synthetic and real stellar templates, rather than by the quality of our spectra. Emission is detected in 75% of our sample galaxies, and comes in a variety of resolved spatial distributions and kinematic behaviours. The ionised-gas kinematics is rarely consistent with simple coplanar circular motions. However, the gas almost never displays completely irregular kinematics, generally showing coherent motions with smooth variations in angular momentum. In the majority of the cases the gas kinematics is decoupled from the stellar kinematics, and in half of the objects this decoupling implies a recent acquisition of gaseous material. Over the entire sample however, the distribution of the mean misalignment values between stellar and gaseous angular momenta is inconsistent with a purely external origin. Consistent with previous studies, the presence of dust features is always accompanied by gas emission while the converse is not always true. A considerable range of values for the [OIII]/Hb ratio is found both across the sample and within single galaxies. Despite the limitations of this ratio as an emission-line diagnostic, this finding suggests either that a variety of mechanisms is responsible for the gas excitation in E and S0 galaxies or that the metallicity of the interstellar material is quite heterogeneous.
Risk for schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like psychosis among patients with epilepsy: population based cohort study

Abstract Objectives To investigate whether age at onset of epilepsy, type of epilepsy, family history of psychosis, or family history of epilepsy affect the risk of schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like psychosis among patients with epilepsy. Design Comparison of population based data. Setting Danish longitudinal registers. Subjects The cohort comprised 2.27 million people. Main outcome measures Epilepsy, psychosis, personal birth data. Results We found an increased risk of schizophrenia (relative risk 2.48, 95% confidence interval 2.20 to 2.80) and schizophrenia-like psychosis (2.93, 2.69 to 3.20) in people with a history of epilepsy. The effect of epilepsy was the same in men and in women and increased with age. Family history of psychosis and a family history of epilepsy were significant risk factors for schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like psychosis, and the effect of epilepsy, both in cases and families, was greater among people with no family history of psychosis. In addition, the increased risk for schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like psychosis did not differ by type of epilepsy but increased with increasing number of admissions to hospital and, particularly, was significantly greater for people first admitted for epilepsy at later ages. Conclusions There is a strong association between epilepsy and schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like psychosis. The two conditions may share common genetic or environmental causes.
How Do Family Ownership , Management , and Control Affect Firm Value ?

Using proxy data on all Fortune 500 firms during 1994-2000, we establish that, in order to understand whether and when family firms are more or less valuable than nonfamily firms, one must distinguish among three fundamental elements in the definition of family firms: ownership, control, and management. Specifically, we find that family ownership creates value only when the founder serves as the CEO of the family firm or as its Chairman with a hired CEO. Control mechanisms including dual share classes, pyramids, and voting agreements reduce the founder’s premium. When descendants serve as CEOs, firm value is destroyed. Our findings further suggest that the classic owner-manager conflict in nonfamily firms is more costly than the conflict between family and nonfamily shareholders in founder-CEO firms. However, the conflict between family and nonfamily shareholders in descendant-CEO firms is more costly than the owner-manager conflict in nonfamily firms.
Using Dial-Up Optical Circuits to Address the Access Link Bottleneck Problem

Enterprise access links remain bottlenecks even as LAN and WAN link rates increase. We verified this with an Inter-net traffic measurement study on our university's access link, which is presented here. To solve the problem, we propose a service called DUE (Dial-Up Ethernet). The service concept is to provide end hosts with a high-speed access circuit on a call-by-call shared basis. The DUE circuits map Ethernet segments at the end hosts into Ethernet-over-SONET signals and connect the end hosts directly to the IP router of the enterprise's Internet Service Provider (ISP). This results in lowered packet loss rates on the access link and thus translates into lower mean file transfer delays. The DUE service is proposed as an add-on to the primary Internet access service already available to enterprise hosts. If the circuit setup fails, the end host will fall back to the primary access link. If the circuit setup is successful, the end host will enjoy a much better performance on file transfer delays. For example, a 100MB file transfer on a primary TCP/IP path with a round-trip propagation delay of 50ms, the bottleneck link rate of 100Mbps, and a packet loss rate of 0.01 takes 441.535sec, while via an DUE circuit with the same bottleneck link rate and a reduced packet loss rate of 0.00001, the transfer time is 10.01sec. To determine the conditions under which an end host with access to DUE service should attempt circuit setup, we analyze mean file transfer delays as a function of call blocking probabilities in the access network, packet loss rates on the end-to-end path, round-trip propagation delays, link rates, etc. I. INTRODUCTION An end-to-end data communication path for an enterprise user typically consists of three types of segments: (i) Local Area Network (LAN) segments within enterprise buildings, (ii) access segments from enterprise buildings to service provider buildings, and (iii) core network segments within Wide Area Networks (WANs). In recent years LAN and core network segments have experienced a tremendous increase in data rates: links in LANs are evolving from 10/100 Base-T Ethernet to GbE and even 10GbE, and links in service provider backbone networks are evolving to OC48 (2.5Gbps), OC192 (10Gbps), or even OC768 (40Gbps) [1]. At the same time, the evolution of data rates in access networks has been slow, with
Carbon nanotube transistors: an evaluation

A simple, non-equilibrium model is used to evaluate the likely DC performance of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors. It is shown that, by appropriate work function engineering of the source, drain and gate contacts to the device, the following desirable properties should be realizable: a sub-threshold slope close to the thermionic limit; a conductance close to the interfacial limit; an ON/OFF ratio of around 103; ON current and transconductance close to the low-quantum-capacitance limit.
An Empirical Investigation of the Customer Knowledge Creation Impact on NPD Performance

New product development (NPD) projects require efficient strategies for reducing time to market and responding faster and better to the customer needs. While these strategies were mostly technology driven at the early stages, nowadays firms are adopting knowledge management systems (KMS) to enhance new customer knowledge creation and NPD performance. Despite their potential benefits, there is a variance in the extent of efforts that firms deploy for achieving NPD performance. This is because not all the firms can meet the KMS requirements to support the customer knowledge creation process. In this study, the authors develop a research model that identifies (1) the impact of KMS factors on customer knowledge creation process and NPD performance, (2) the elements that interconnects KMS factors, customer knowledge creation process, and NPD performance (3) the outcomes that are generated by this approach
Nonlinear observer for simultaneous states and unknown parameter estimation

This paper presents the design of an observer for the simultaneous estimation of states and unknown parameter for a class of nonlinear systems whose nonlinearity satisfies a bounded Jacobian condition. The paper presents two alternate observers based on the structure of the system. The conditions for the existence of these observers can be expressed as a linear matrix inequality and solved using standard solvers. The case of time-varying parameter and multiple unknown parameter have also been investigated. The use of the developed methodology is demonstrated through illustrative examples.
Comparison of four statistical approaches to score child development: a study of Malawian children

Objective Assessment of child development often results in a multitude of binary outcome data. There is no agreed way to use them to score the developmental status of children. Conventional methods include age‐standardized Z‐scores and simple sum of number of passes. Recently two approaches based on the Rasch model and the concept of ‘developmental age’ have been proposed. This study aims to compare the performance of the four approaches.