Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Lewis α1-3/4-L-Fucosyltransferase (FUT3) Gene Mutations on Enzyme Activity, Erythrocyte Phenotyping, and Circulating Tumor Marker Sialyl-Lewis a Levels*

Fucosylated glycoproteins carrying α1-4 fucose residues are of importance for cell adhesion and as tumor markers. The Lewis gene, FUT3, encodes the only known α1-4-fucosyltransferase (FucT), and individuals who are deficient in this enzyme type as Lewis-negative on erythrocytes. We examined the mutational spectrum of the Lewis gene in Denmark and found 6 different mutations. Five, T59G, T202C, C314T, G508A, and T1067A, were frequent, and one, C445A, was only detected in one out of 40 individuals. Allele-specific polymerase chain reaction as well as cloning of FUT3 alleles showed that the 202 and 314 mutations were co-located on the same allele. COS7 cells transfected with an allele having the 202/314 mutations lacked enzyme activity. Polymerase chain reaction-cleavage assays were established for the genotyping of healthy individuals as well as 20 genuine Lewis-negative cancer patients and 10 non-genuine. The latter have Lewis-negative erythrocytes but saliva α1-4FucT activity. The genuine Lewis-negative individuals had mutations on both FUT3alleles. In 66 healthy individuals, a gene dosage effect was detected as FUT3 heterozygous individuals had a lower α1-4FucT activity in saliva than did homozygous wild-type individuals. The lower enzyme level in heterozygous individuals resulted in a significantly (p < 0.04) lower level of circulating sialyl-Lewis a structure in serum. This has the clinical impact that cut-off levels in tumor marker assays should be defined on the basis of genotyping. In the group of non-genuine Lewis-negative cancer patients, whose erythrocytes convert from Lewis-positive to Lewis-negative during the disease, FUT3 heterozygosity was significantly (p < 0.05) more common.
Threonine inhibition of growth of Bacillus subtilis: positive selection for isoleucine auxotrophy.

Inhibition of microbial growth has often been used as a probe to study the biochemical genetics of autotrophic (Rittenberg, 1969) and heterotrophic (see Ingram & Jensen, 1973) micro-organisms. To gain insight into the metabolic regulation of growth and sporulation, we have studied the inhibition of Bacillus subtilis by threonine. We found that 8.4 mhl-threonine prevented growth and sporulation by restricting valine synthesis and proposed that this restriction was due to an excess of 2-oxobutyrate (derived from threonine) which competed with pyruvate for the active site of acetohydroxyacid synthase (EC 4.1 .3.18) thus restricting the flow of carbon into valine (Lamb & Bott, 1978, 1979). In support of this ‘substrate competition’ model, we found that most mutants selected for resistance to threonine were auxotrophic for isoleucine and that one of these auxotrophs appeared to be altered in threonine dehydratase (EC 4.2.1 .16). It is possible that an isoleucine requirement in the absence of a simultaneous valine requirement is due to an altered threonine dehydratase or an altered isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase (EC 6.1.1.5). Here we report that the majority of threonine-resistant mutants found were auxotrophic for isoleucine irrespective of whether isoleucine was included in the selective medium. In addition, all of the strains auxotrophic for isoleucine that we examined were altered in threonine dehydratase activity.
Fish meal supplementation and ambulatory blood pressure in patients with hypertension: relevance of baseline membrane fatty acid composition.

BACKGROUND Studies on fish oil effects on ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) are inconclusive. We evaluated fish effects on fatty acid composition of red blood cell (RBC) membrane and ABP values and tested the hypothesis that the starting membrane fatty acid composition affects the ability to incorporate additional polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and decrease blood pressure. METHODS In 55 hypertensive patients, we measured RBC membrane fatty acid by gas chromatography and performed ABP monitoring. Patients received nutritional counseling and 3 weekly meals of trout rich in PUFA. In 42 patients, RBC membrane fatty acid and ABP were reassessed after 6 months. RESULTS At baseline, the PUFA/saturated fatty acid (SFA) ratio of RBC membrane (PUFA/SFA) was inversely related to 24-hour, daytime, and nighttime systolic and pulse pressure, a relationship that was independent of covariables. At follow-up, the PUFA/SFA ratio increased in 20 (48%) of 42 patients. Patients with increased PUFA/SFA ratio at follow-up had lower baseline PUFA/SFA ratio than patients without such increase. Fish meal supplementation decreased 24-hour systolic and diastolic pressure only in patients who had increased PUFA/SFA ratio, a change that was more prominent during the nighttime. The change in PUFA/SFA was inversely and independently related to the change in 24-hour systolic and pulse pressure, and a logistic regression analysis indicated low baseline PUFA/SFA ratio as the only independent predictor of PUFA/SFA increase and blood pressure decrease. CONCLUSIONS The ability of fish meals to increase membrane PUFA content and decrease blood pressure in hypertensive patients depends upon the starting membrane fatty acid composition.
Laplace pressure driven drop spreading

This work concerns the spreading of viscous droplets on a smooth rigid horizontal surface, under the condition of complete wetting (spreading parameter S≳0) with the Laplace pressure as the dominant force. Owing to the self‐similar character foreseeable for this flow, a self‐similar solution is built up by numerical integration from the center of symmetry to the front position to be determined, defined as the point where the free‐surface slope becomes zero. Mass and energy conservation are invoked as the only further conditions to determine the flow. The resulting fluid thickness at the front is a small but finite (≊10−7) fraction of the height at the center. By comparison with experimental results the regime is determined in which the spreading can be described by this solution with good accuracy. Moreover, even within this regime, small but systematic deviations from the predictions of the theory were observed, showing the need to add terms modifying the Laplace pressure force.
The madness of King George III: a psychiatric re-assessment

This research, based on a study of King George III’s medical records and of contemporary diaries of his courtiers and equerries, further confirms the considerable doubt on the claim of Richard Hunter and Ida Macalpine that the King suffered from recurrent attacks of acute porphyria. The present study examines the above records from a psychiatric viewpoint, together with some additional reports, to re-assess the nature of the King’s maladies. It concludes that he suffered from recurrent mania (four episodes), with chronic mania and possibly a degree of fatuity during the last decade of his life. This is in agreement with previous reports that he suffered from manic-depressive psychosis.
APIs for Real-Time Distributed Object Programming

Ideally, according to the author, a real-time distributed programming method should be based on a general high-level style that could be easily accommodated by application programmers using C++ and Java. If such a method were to exist, these programmers could specify the interactions among distributed components and the timing requirements of various actions without expending much effort. Facilitating high-level, high precision, real-time object programming by establishing some form of language tools has consequently become a subject of great interest to the embedded systems community. This article focuses on application programming interfaces (APIs) that take the form of C++ and Java class libraries and support high-level, high precision, real-time object programming without requiring new language translators. These APIs wrap the services of the real-time object execution engines, which consist of hardware, node OSs, and middleware; they enable convenient high-level programming almost to the extent that a new real-time object language can. The author explains the API's fundamental features, how they interact among real-time objects, and how multicast channels and real-time multicast APIs contribute.
Five-Year Assessment of Time of Sputum Smears Conversion and Outcome and Risk Factors of Tuberculosis Patients in Central Iran

Objective. To evaluate risk factors which influence sputum smear conversion, outcome, and trends of conversion of sputum smear during 5 years and compare outcomes in patients with different regimens. Methods. In a retrospective cohort study, all patients with sputum smear positive tuberculosis were evaluated for comorbidities and demographic, microbiological, and therapeutic data and outcome. Smear examinations were performed at the beginning, at 2 months for CAT I, at 3 months for CAT II, at the end of second month of maintenance phase, and at the end of treatment. Results. This study enrolled 211 sputum smear positive patients, but 189 patients who completed the intensive phase of treatment were evaluated. Sputum smear of 158 patients converted at the end of intensive phase (83.6). Univariate analysis indicated that the risk of a persistent positive smear at the end of intensive phase was greater in diabetic patients ((odds 4.038, 95% CI 1.123–14.516) P = 0.033), and also a 3+bacillary load had risk of 2.933-fold ((95% CI 1.278–6.732) P = 0.011). Overall rate of unfavorable outcome was 20.9%. Factors associated with unfavorable outcome were age (P value 0.000), male gender (P value 0.027), diabetes (P value 0.000), and delayed conversion of sputum at the end of intensive phase (P value 0.000). Outcome for different regimens was not different significantly. Two specimens were isoniazid resistant. Conclusions. We suggest supervised treatment and care for diabetic patients and those with higher bacillary load. Paying attention to early diagnosis of tuberculosis in the elderly to reduce poor outcome and further measures to prevent transfer-out could improve the success rate.
Self-voice recognition in 4 to 5-year-old children

Children's ability to recognize their own recorded voice as their own was explored in a group of 4 to 5-year-old children. The task for the children was to identify which one of four voice samples represented their own voice. The results reveal that children perform well above chance level, and that a time span of 1-2 weeks between the recording and the identification does not affect the children's performance. F0 similarity between the participant's recordings and the reference recordings correlated with a higher error-rate. Implications for the use of recordings in speech and language therapy are discussed.
Reciprocal inhibition between wrist flexors and extensors in man: a new set of interneurones?

1. Interneurones mediating reciprocal inhibition between wrist flexors and extensors in man are characterized using both Renshaw cells and transarticular group I afferent activation. 2. Renshaw cells were activated by reflex discharges evoked by a tendon tap. The tendon tap was applied to the tendon of the muscles from which the Ia fibres responsible for the reciprocal inhibition originated. Contrary to what was observed both in the cat hindlimb and in human elbow muscles, this Renshaw cell activation never resulted in a long depression of the reciprocal inhibition between wrist flexors and extensors. 3. Convergence from group I elbow muscle afferents and antagonistic group I afferents onto interneurones mediating reciprocal inhibition between wrist muscles was revealed in post‐stimulus time histogram (PSTH) experiments using the technique of spatial facilitation. 4. The characteristics of the interneurones mediating reciprocal inhibition between wrist flexors and extensors could therefore be summarized as follows: (a) they are fed by antagonistic group I afferents and group I afferents originating from both flexor and extensor elbow muscles; (b) they are not inhibited by Renshaw cells; (c) they are not excited by low threshold cutaneous afferents; and (d) they are probably interposed in a disynaptic pathway. 5. It is therefore concluded that interneurones mediating reciprocal inhibition between wrist flexors and extensors in man differ both from Ia interneurones and from interneurones interposed in the Ib reflex pathways and these characteristics are related to the complex circumduction movements developed in the wrist.
Open vs. Closed Skill Sports and the Modulation of Inhibitory Control

Background Inhibitory control, or the ability to suppress planned but inappropriate prepotent actions in the current environment, plays an important role in the control of human performance. Evidence from empirical studies utilizing a sport-specific design has shown that athletes have superior inhibitory control. However, less is known about whether this superiority might (1) still be seen in a general cognitive task without a sport-related context; (2) be modulated differentially by different sporting expertise (e.g., tennis versus swimming). Methodology/Principal Findings Here we compared inhibitory control across tennis players, swimmers and sedentary non-athletic controls using a stop-signal task without a sport-specific design. Our primary finding showed that tennis players had shorter stop-signal reaction times (SSRTs) when compared to swimmers and sedentary controls, whereas no difference was found between swimmers and sedentary controls. Importantly, this effect was further confirmed after considering potential confounding factors (e.g., BMI, training experience, estimated levels of physical activity and VO2max), indicative of better ability to inhibit unrequired responses in tennis players. Conclusions/Significance This suggests that fundamental inhibitory control in athletes can benefit from open skill training. Sport with both physical and cognitive demands may provide a potential clinical intervention for those who have difficulties in inhibitory control.
PARTICULATE MATTER AND AMMONIA EMISSION FACTORS FOR TUNNEL–VENTILATED BROILER PRODUCTION HOUSES IN THE SOUTHERN U.S.

Emissions rates for particulate matter less than 10 . m (PM10) and ammonia (NH3) from commercial tunnel–ventilated broiler houses in central Texas were analyzed using linear regressions to develop emission rates as a function of bird weight for broilers on litter. Interior ambient temperature and relative humidity were not found to be significant factors affecting emissions. From the regression equations, emission rates for PM10 and NH3 for average weight birds in these facilities were estimated. Over a 7–week grow–out period, the average bird weight was estimated to be 1.03 kg, the average emission rate for PM10 was 26.5 mg PM10 bird–1 day–1, and the average emision rate for NH3 was 632 mg bird–1 day–1. The emission factor was defined as the total emission in mass per bird for the grow–out period. For typical production conditions and management, the emission factor for PM10 was 1.3 g PM10 bird–1, and for NH3 the emission factor was 31 g NH3 bird–1. These results were compared to values found in the literature. For a facility comprised of four tunnel–ventilated broiler houses with 27,5000 birds per house and a 2–week idle time between 7–week grow–out periods, the emission inventory was calculated to be 828.2 kg PM10 year–1 and 19,780 kg NH3 year–1. The annual emissions for PM10 were below those required to be reported under the Federal Clean Air Act, and there is currently no requirement for NH3 under this legislation.
Hospital-based study on the use of herbal medicine in patients with coronary artery disease in Jordan.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency and pattern of herbal therapy use among patients with chronic coronary artery disease as self remedies. METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted by face to face interview of 690 consecutive patients visiting the outpatient department at Queen Alia Heart Institute during the period 1/6/2008 to 1/6/2009. Data was collected using a specially designed questionnaire. RESULTS Overall frequency of herbal use was 14.1%. The most commonly used herbs in Jordan were hawthorn and ginger. A total of 27 local and one Chinese herbal product were used, while the use of adulterated formulae were absent. Pharmacists were never consulted regarding the quantity or frequency of herb use. Side effects were rare. CONCLUSION The use of medicinal herbs among cardiac patients in Jordan is not uncommon and consists largely of local herbs. Active role of pharmacists and doctors for counseling patients on the appropriate use of herbal products should prevent toxicity, ensure proper modes of preparation and optimize safety and efficacy.
Current and future treatments of alopecia areata and trichotillomania in children

ABSTRACT Introduction: Treatment options for hair disorders are generally very limited. These options are even more limited in children due to the lack of trials and clinical research. Moreover, physicians are sometimes scared to treat children with drugs without safety data, especially because most hair disorders are benign. Areas covered: The objective of this paper is to review current and future treatments for alopecia areata and trichotillomania, two disorders that are sometimes encountered in differential diagnosis or even occur together and probably affect the mental condition of the patient involved more than others. Expert opinion: Hair disorders are very stressful in paediatric population. Both physicians and families are often unsatisfied leading to non-compliance. New drugs with less side- effects are needed to increase the percentage of cure. It is also crucial to refine genetic studies on alopecia areata in order to identify new potential drugs worth studying. Moreover, studies on trichotillomania should not be evaluated only by psychiatrics, but also by dermatologists.
The Many Facets of Genetic Literacy: Assessing the Scalability of Multiple Measures for Broad Use in Survey Research

Objectives To determine how three dimensions of genetic literacy (familiarity, skills, and factual knowledge) fit the hierarchy of knowledge outlined in E.M. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations to better conceptualize lay understandings of genomics. Methods A consumer panel representing the US adult population (N = 1016) completed an electronic survey in November 2013. Adjusting for education, we used correlations, principle components analysis, Mokken Scale tests, and linear regressions to assess how scores on the three genetic literacy sub-dimensions fit an ordered scale. Results The three scores significantly loaded onto one factor, even when adjusting for education. Analyses revealed moderate strength in scaling (0.416, p<0.001) and a difficulty ordering that matched Rogers’ hierarchy (knowledge more difficult than skills, followed by familiarity). Skills scores partially mediated the association between familiarity and knowledge with a significant indirect effect (0.241, p<0.001). Conclusion We established an ordering in genetic literacy sub-dimensions such that familiarity with terminology precedes skills using information, which in turn precedes factual knowledge. This ordering is important to contextualizing previous findings, guiding measurement in future research, and identifying gaps in the understanding of genomics relevant to the demands of differing applications.
From Hybrid to Actively-Controlled Gas Lubricated Bearings – Theory and Experiment

From a rotordynamic point of view there are two phenomena that limit the widespread of traditional gas lubrication: 1) low damping makes operation across critical speed dangerous, as even low level of unbalance can generate large vibration responses; 2) an upper bound to supercritical operation is determined by the appearance of subsynchronous whirl instability. In fact, postponing the onset speed of instability poses one of the greatest challenges in high-speed gas bearing design. A great deal of research is devoted to attack such issues, where most propose passive designs such as compliant foil bearings, tilting pad and flexure pivot gas bearings. These solutions proved to be effective in improving static and dynamic properties of the bearings, however issues related to the manufacturing and accuracy of predictions has so far limited their applications. Another drawback is that passive bearings offer a low degree of robustness, meaning that an accurate optimization is necessary for each application. Another way of improving gas bearings operation performance is by using active control systems, transforming conventional gas bearings in an electro-mechanical machine component. In this framework the main focus of this thesis is the theoretical modeling, numerical simulation and experimental rotordynamic testing of a flexible rotor supported by hybrid aerostatic-aerodynamic gas journal bearing equipped with an electronic radial air injection system. Experimental results on a specially designed test-rig are backed by a comprehensive mathematical model that couples a finite element model of a flexible rotor, a thermohydrodynamic model based on a modified form of the Reynold’s equation for hybrid aerostatic-aerodynamic lubrication of compressible fluid, a piezoelectric injection system and a proportional-derivative controller. It is shown that synchronous vibrations can be effectively addressed ensuring safe operation across the critical speeds; whirling instability is suppressed; intervening on the software, rather than the hardware can modify the response of the system. Optimum tuning of the control loop is addressed experimentally, showing dependency on the supply pressure and, less prominently, the rotational velocity. Moreover, additional research is carried out in order to perform a feasibility study on a new kind of hybrid permanent magnetic – aerodynamic gas bearing. This new kind of machine is intended to exploit the benefits of the two technologies while minimizing their drawbacks. The idea is to improve the poor start-up and low speed operation performance of the gas bearing by using magnetic forces to lift the rotor. At high speeds the dynamic characteristics of the gas bearing can also be modified by using the same magnetic forces.
Caries experience of 5-6-year-old and 12-13-year-old schoolchildren in central and western Nepal.

OBJECTIVE To describe and analyse the caries experience and caries prevalence in the deciduous dentition of 5-6-year-old schoolchildren and in the permanent dentition of 12-13-year-old schoolchildren in western and central Nepal. DESIGN Non-randomised cross-sectional surveys conducted by trained and calibrated examiners. SETTING Surveys were conducted in private and government rural and urban schools at 10 sites along the Terai and the foothills in eight districts of western and central Nepal. SUBJECTS A total of 2,177, 5-6-year-old and 3,323, 12-13-year-old schoolchildren from urban and rural areas were examined under WHO Pathfinder methodology. OUTCOME MEASURES Prevalence of caries and dental caries experience (dmft/DMFT). RESULTS The caries prevalence and mean dmft score of 5-6-year-olds was 67% and 3.3 (urban 64% and 2.9; rural 78% and 4.0). The caries prevalence and mean DMFT score of 12-13-year-olds was 41% and 1.1 (urban 35% and 0.9; rural 54% and 1.5). The d/D-component constituted almost the entire dmft/DMFT index. CONCLUSION The recorded prevalence of untreated dental caries in schoolchildren requires an appropriate oral health response based primarily on prevention and health promotion. Foremost in this regime would be the promotion and use of accessible and affordable fluoridated toothpaste.