Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamics of the DNA Damage Repair Steps of Human 8-Oxoguanine DNA Glycosylase

Human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOGG1) is a key enzyme responsible for initiating the base excision repair of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanosine (oxoG). In this study a thermodynamic analysis of the interaction of hOGG1 with specific and non-specific DNA-substrates is performed based on stopped-flow kinetic data. The standard Gibbs energies, enthalpies and entropies of specific stages of the repair process were determined via kinetic measurements over a temperature range using the van’t Hoff approach. The three steps which are accompanied with changes in the DNA conformations were detected via 2-aminopurine fluorescence in the process of binding and recognition of damaged oxoG base by hOGG1. The thermodynamic analysis has demonstrated that the initial step of the DNA substrates binding is mainly governed by energy due to favorable interactions in the process of formation of the recognition contacts, which results in negative enthalpy change, as well as due to partial desolvation of the surface between the DNA and enzyme, which results in positive entropy change. Discrimination of non-specific G base versus specific oxoG base is occurring in the second step of the oxoG-substrate binding. This step requires energy consumption which is compensated by the positive entropy contribution. The third binding step is the final adjustment of the enzyme/substrate complex to achieve the catalytically competent state which is characterized by large endothermicity compensated by a significant increase of entropy originated from the dehydration of the DNA grooves.
Adult MOOC Learners as Self-Directed: Perceptions of Motivation, Success, and Completion.

Despite the increased attention given to MOOCs over the last four years, learners’ voices have been noticeably absent. This virtual ethnographic study was designed to examine the experiences of 12 adult learners with bachelors’ and masters’ degrees, enrolled in a four-week MOOC on the topic of human trafficking. Through the lenses of self-directed learning and self-determination theories, we were interested in investigating learners’ motivations for enrolling in the MOOC, their perceptions of success and completion, and barriers encountered while trying to complete the MOOC. Reasons for enrollment varied from personal enjoyment to professional development, and differing definitions emerged regarding completion or success in a MOOC. Implications of this study include a proposed conceptual framework of adult learner MOOC motivations and goals, which may inform the intentional instructional design of MOOCs to better meet adults’ self-directed learning needs. Results also pointed to the potential for social science MOOCs to promote activism and attitudinal and social change.
Methodological Issues on Planning and Running the Brazilian Multicenter Study on Preterm Birth

Objectives. Assuming that the occurrence of preterm births and their maternal and neonatal associated conditions in Brazil are not completely known, a multicenter study was proposed. The purpose of this paper is to describe the methods used, its processes, achievements, and challenges. Study Design. A multicenter cross-sectional study on preterm births in Brazilian facilities plus a nested case-control study to assess their associated factors. A description of all steps of planning and implementing such a nationwide study, including strategies for dealing with problems arising during the process, is presented. Results. 20 referral hospitals in different regions of Brazil participated in the study. A detailed questionnaire for data collection, an electronic platform for data transcription and monitoring, research materials, and specific monitoring tools were developed; then data management and analyses were performed. Finally, we got information on 4,150 preterm births and 1,146 term births. Conclusions. This study represented the first step of a planned comprehensive assessment of preterm birth in Brazil, with detailed information that will lead to several analyses and further studies, bringing the knowledge to improve screening, diagnosis, and treatment practices in maternal and perinatal health with the final purpose of reducing the burden of this condition in the country.
“Subject-predicate predicate sentences” in modern Mandarin Chinese: A Cardiff Grammar approach

Abstract This study investigates “subject-predicate predicate sentences” (“S-P P sentences”) in modern Mandarin Chinese from a Cardiff Grammar approach with the aim of answering three main questions: (i) What is/are the functional syntactic structure(s) of the sentences to be considered in the study? (ii) What is/are the semantic motivation(s) for the structure(s)? (iii) What is/are the contextual constraints on the structure(s)? The study is guided by three basic principles: (a) language is multifunctional; (b) meaning is primary while form is the realization of meaning; and (c) different strands of meaning are realized by a single syntactic structure. Further, the study utilizes the concepts of Theme and Subject within the Cardiff Grammar in order to analyze and discuss the generally acknowledged seven types of “S-P P sentences”. The results show that only one type is truly S-P P and another type only in one sense, whereas no other types can be categorized as such. All the syntactic structures are conditioned by a different set of distinctive semantic features and contextual factors.
The Full-fledged Dwarf Irregular Galaxy Leo A

We have studied Leo A, an isolated and extremely gas-rich dwarf irregular galaxy of very low stellar mass and metallicity. Ages of the stellar populations in Leo A range from ~10 Myr to ~10 Gyr. Here we report the discovery of an old stellar halo and a sharp stellar edge. We also find that the distribution of stars extends beyond the gaseous envelope of the galaxy. Therefore, by its structure as well as stellar and gaseous content, Leo A is found to resemble massive disk galaxies. This implies that galaxies of very low stellar mass are also able to develop complex structures, challenging contemporary understanding of galaxy evolution.
Constraints in Cosmological Parameter Space from the Sunyaev-Zeldovich Effect and Thermal Bremsstrahlung

We discuss how the space of possible cosmological parameters is constrained by the angular diameter distance function DA(z) as measured using the SZ/X-ray method, which combines the Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) effect and X-ray brightness data for clusters of galaxies. New X-ray satellites and ground-based interferometers dedicated to SZ observations should soon lead to DA(z) measurements limited by systematic rather than random error. We analyze the systematic and random error budgets to make a realistic estimate of the accuracy achievable in the determination of (Ωm, ΩΛ, h), the density parameters of matter and cosmological constant, and the dimensionless Hubble constant, using DA(z) derived from the SZ/X-ray method and the position of the first "Doppler" peak in the cosmic microwave background fluctuations. We briefly study the effect of systematic errors. We find that Ωm, ΩΛ, and w are affected, but h is not, by systematic errors that grow with redshift. With as few as 70 clusters, each providing a measurement of DA(z) with a 7% random and 5% systematic error, Ωm can be constrained to ±0.2, ΩΛ to ±0.2, and h to ±0.11 (all at 3 σ). We also estimate constraints for the alternative three-parameter set (Ωm, w, h), where w is the equation-of-state parameter. The measurement of DA(z) provides constraints complementary to those from the number density of clusters in redshift space. A sample of 70 clusters (DA measured with the same accuracy as before) combined with cluster evolution results (or a known matter density) can constrain w within ±0.45 (at 3 σ). Studies of X-ray and SZ properties of clusters of galaxies promise an independent and powerful test for cosmological parameters.
Metastable Walking Machines

Legged robots that operate in the real world are inherently subject to stochasticity in their dynamics and uncertainty about the terrain. Owing to limited energy budgets and limited control authority, these “disturbances” cannot always be canceled out with high-gain feedback. Minimally actuated walking machines subject to stochastic disturbances no longer satisfy strict conditions for limit-cycle stability; however, they can still demonstrate impressively long-living periods of continuous walking. Here, we employ tools from stochastic processes to examine the “stochastic stability” of idealized rimless-wheel and compass-gait walking on randomly generated uneven terrain. Furthermore, we employ tools from numerical stochastic optimal control to design a controller for an actuated compass gait model which maximizes a measure of stochastic stability—the mean first-passage time—and compare its performance with a deterministic counterpart. Our results demonstrate that walking is well characterized as a metastable process, and that the stochastic dynamics of walking should be accounted for during control design in order to improve the stability of our machines.
Cooperation Between Strangers in Face-to-Face Dyads Produces More Cardiovascular Activation Than Competition or Working Alone

Individual and shared goals can be achieved through social interpersonal interaction, cooperation and competition being two different yet similar strategies to reach such aims and objectives. Nevertheless, there is a gap in the literature analyzing the effect of these types of social interactions, especially in cooperation, on autonomic nervous system responses using noninvasive measures, such as heart rate (HR). The regulation of HR and other cardiovascular variables of the central nervous system offers information about how to encourage or discourage social engagement and prosocial behaviors. In fact, a more flexible engagement with the environment and efficient emotions regulation is enabled by an efficient cardiac control. Hence, the main aim of this study was to investigate heart rate variability (HRV) in strangers (180 healthy young participants) who were set to cooperate or compete in face-to-face dyads (between same-gender participants) or to work alone (as the control condition), considering outcomes in these tasks (positive or negative) and gender as moderating variables. We found that participants who cooperated had higher HRs and lower high frequency (HF) HRV than those who competed and/or worked alone. Regarding gender and outcome, men who cooperate and lose have lower HF-HRV levels than men on the simple task with negative outcomes. Hence, our study indicates that cooperation between strangers in face-to-face dyads may produce less parasympathetic activation than competition or working on the task without any social interaction. Research in this field may help us understand the psychophysiological basis of social interaction, providing an opportunity to establish interaction strategies that would be physiologically desirable, in order to promote well-being.
Using funnel plots to explore variation in cancer mortality across primary care trusts in South-East England.

BACKGROUND In 2004, the English government set a target to reduce the difference in cancer mortality in those aged under 75 between spearhead primary care trusts (PCTs) and all others by 6% in 2010. METHODS We used mortality data for 2002-04 to calculate the age-standardized cancer mortality rates in 11 spearhead and 65 non-spearhead PCTs in South-East England. We calculated the ratio of each rate to that for England and Wales overall, and plotted these within funnel plots. RESULTS Age-standardized cancer mortality ratios for males varied widely. The 11 spearhead PCTs had the highest mortality and six fell outside three standard deviations of the distribution of the funnel. Removing mortality due to lung cancer greatly reduced this variation and caused the outliers to shift down within the normal range. Ratios for females showed less variation, although those for spearheads were higher. One high outlier was unaffected by removing mortality due to lung cancer, other smoking-related cancers or breast cancer. CONCLUSION Current variation in PCT cancer mortality is materially influenced by past patterns of smoking in men but less so in women. Effective smoking cessation policies should decrease inequalities in male cancer mortality, but will take time and be less effective in decreasing female inequalities.
Cancer Management and Research Dovepress Daily Baseline Skin Care in the Prevention, Treatment, and Supportive Care of Skin Toxicity in Oncology Patients: Recommendations from a Multinational Expert Panel

Skin reactions due to radiotherapy and chemotherapy are a significant problem for an important number of cancer patients. While effective for treating cancer, they disturb cutaneous barrier function, causing a reaction soon after initiation of treatment that impacts patient quality of life. Managing these symptoms with cosmetics and nonpharmaceutical skin care products for camouflage or personal hygiene may be important for increasing patient self-esteem. However, inappropriate product choice or use could worsen side effects. Although recommendations exist for the pharmaceutical treatment of skin reactions, there are no recommendations for the choice or use of dermatologic skin care products for oncology patients. The present guidelines were developed by a board of European experts in dermatology and oncology to provide cancer care professionals with guidance for the appropriate use of non-pharmaceutical, dermocosmetic skin care management of cutaneous toxicities associated with radiotherapy and systemic chemo-therapy, including epidermal growth factor inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. The experts hope that these recommendations will improve the management of cutaneous side effects and hence quality of life for oncology patients.
Comparative Advantage, Trade, and Payments in a Ricardian Model with a Continuum of Goods -

This paper discusses Ricardian trade and payments theory in the case of a continuum of goods. The analysis thus extends the development of many-commodity, two-country comparative advantage analysis as presented, for example, in Gottfried Haberler (1937), Frank Graham (1923), Paul Samuelson (1964), and Frank W. Taussig (1927). The literature is historically reviewed by John Chipman (1965). Perhaps surprisingly, the continuum assumption simplifies the analysis neatly in comparison with the discrete many-commodity case. The distinguishing feature of the Ricardian approach emphasized in this paper is the determination of the competitive margin in production between imported and exported goods. The analysis advances the existing literature by formally showing precisely how tariffs and transport costs establish a range of commodities that are not traded, and how the price-specie flow mechanism does or does not give rise to movements in relative cost and price levels. The formal real model is introduced in Section 1. Its equilibrium determines the relative wage and price structure and the efficient international specialization pattern. Section II considers standard comparative static questions of growth, demand shifts,
Language identification based on string kernels

In this paper, we propose a novel approach for automatically identifying the language of a given text based on the concept of string kernels. Our approach can identify the language from the text directly, regardless of its coding system. In particular, we view the text in a more fine-grained encoding as the string of bytes. The similarity between two strings can be implicitly computed through an efficient dynamic alignment using suffix trees. We provide empirical evidence that applying the string kernels to the language identification problem yields an impressive performance using two different kernel classifiers: the kernelized version of the centroid-based method and the support vector machines. Our experiments are based on a reasonable scale of the data set in terms of the number of languages to be identified, including 17 different languages.
Exploring the Mechanism of How Quality Management Practices Impact on Firm Performance: A Theoretical Framework

Scholars have investigated the effects of quality management practices on performance. But most of their studies focus on exploring one-dimensional relationship between quality management practices and performance, and the mechanism of how quality management practices impact on firm performance is still unclear. Thus, this paper develops an integrated framework for exploring this issue by analyzing the direct effects of infrastructure practices on multi-dimensional performance and the indirect effects of these practices through core practices. Our model shows that product quality and customer satisfaction act as mediating variables in understanding the impact of quality management practices on financial performance.
Reproducer classification using the theory of affordances: models and examples

We present a novel classification of reproducers based on Gibson’s theory of affordances. Using affordances we are able to describe reproducer behaviour and determine how much the reproducer relies on external agency during its reproductive process. We give an informal overview of four main reproducer types, along with illustrative examples, and introduce the notions of active, passive and biactive reproducers for further subclassification. A formal definition of reproduction models is given, and we give three worked examples to show the application of this formalism to the classification of both artificial and natural reproducers. We introduce a modified version of the Type I conjecture from our earlier work, and conjecture that all reproducers can be categorised as “trivial” (Type IV) reproducers with the introduction of a “deity” into the model. We give a detailed overview of future work, with details on a potential application to computer virus detection.
Using Checksums to Detect Number Entry Error

Number entry is a common task in many domains. In safety-critical environments such as air traffic control or on hospital wards, incorrect number entry can have serious harmful consequences. Research has investigated how interface designs can help prevent users from making number entry errors. In this paper, we present an experimental evaluation of two possible interface designs aimed at helping users detect number entry errors using the idea of a checksum: an additional (redundant) number that is related to the to-be-entered numbers in such a way that it is sufficient to verify the correctness of the checksum, as opposed to checking each of the entered numbers. The first interface requires users to check their own work with the help of the checksum; the second requires the user to enter the checksum along with the other numbers so that the system can do the checking. In each case, two numbers needed to be entered, while the third number served as a checksum. With the first interface, users caught only 36% of their errors. The second interface resulted in all errors being caught, but the need to enter the checksum increased entry time by 46%. When participants were allowed to choose between the two interfaces, they chose the second interface in only 12% of the cases. Although these results cannot be generalized to other specific contexts, the results illustrate the strengths and weaknesses of each way of using checksums to catch number entry errors. Hence our study can serve as a starting point for efforts to improve each method.
Road Extraction Using SVM and Image Segmentation

Accurate road information is vital for transportation applications, including as part of geographical information systems (GIS). This article reports on the development of a two-step approach for road extraction that utilizes pixel spectral information for classification and image segmentation-derived object features. In the first step, support vector machine (SVM) was employed merely to classify the image into two groups of categories: a road group and a non-road group. For this classification, support vector machine (SVM) achieved higher accuracy than Gaussian maximum likelihood (GML). In the second step, the road group image was segmented into geometrically homogeneous objects using a region growing technique based on a similarity criterion, with higher weighting on shape factors over spectral criteria. A simple thresholding on the shape index and density features derived from these objects was performed to extract road features, which were further processed by thinning and vectorization to obtain road centerlines. The authors conclude that the proposed approach worked well with images comprised by both rural and urban area features.
PSYCHOSOCIAL CORRELATES OF SUBSYNDROMAL SYMPTOMS AND FUNCTIONING OF BIPOLAR PATIENTS STABILIZED ON PROPHYLACTIC LITHIUM

Sixty-eight bipolar patients in remission on lithium prophylaxis with adequate serum lithium levels were cross-sectionally studied to assess the relation of certain psychosocial variables (life events, social support and daily hassles) with psychopathology and psychosocial functioning. The daily hassles and number of life events were found to have significant positive correlation with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) scores while perceived social support score had significant negative correlation with general psychopathology score. In stepwise multiple regression analyses, psychosocial variables taken together explained 7% - 23% of variance in psychopathology and global functioning of these patients. We conclude that psychosocial variables may have a modest but significant relation with the clinical and psychosocial functioning of bipolar patients stabilized on lithium prophylaxis.