Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atrazine increases the sodium absorption in frog (Rana esculenta) skin

The presence of atrazine in agricultural sites has been linked to the decline in amphibian populations. The efforts of the scientific community generally are directed toward investigating the long‐term effect of atrazine on complex functions (reproduction or respiration), but in the present study, we investigated the short‐term effect on the short‐circuit current (ISC), a quantitative measure of the ion transport operated by frog (Rana esculenta) skin. Treatment with 5 μM atrazine (1.08 mg/L) does not affect the transepithelial outfluxes of [14C]mannitol or [14C]urea; therefore, atrazine does not damage the barrier properties of frog skin. Atrazine causes a dose‐dependent increase in the short‐circuit current, with a minimum of 4.64 ± 0.76 μA/cm2 (11.05% ± 1.22%) and a maximum of 12.7 ± 0.7 μA/cm2 (35% ± 2.4%) measured at 10 nM and 5 μM, respectively. An increase in ISC also is caused by 5 μM ametryne, prometryn, simazine, terbuthylazine, or terbutryn (other atrazine derivatives). In particular, atrazine increases the transepithelial 22Na+ influx without affecting the outflux. Finally, stimulation of ISC by atrazine is suppressed by SQ 22536, H89, U73122, 2‐aminoethoxydiphenyl borate, and W7 (blockers of adenylate cyclase, protein kinase A, phospholipase C, intracellular Ca2+ increase, and calmodulin, respectively), whereas indomethacin and calphostin C (inhibitors of cyclooxygenase and protein kinase C, respectively) have no effect.
Regional and global yield curve dynamics and interactions

In this paper I examine whether regional and/or global yield factors exist, what their dynamics and interactions are, and how they perform in forecasting the country yield factors and curves. For this purpose I extend the single-country dynamized Nelson-Siegel model to a multi-country context; regionally and globally. I use monthly government bond yield data for different maturities of countries in the regions America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. I find important regional and global yield factors, where the regional factor is more important than the global factor for at least 67% of the countries. This is also confirmed by an analysis of the prediction performance, where the regional factor outperforms the global factor.
Collaboration and control: nurses' constructions of the role of family in nursing home care.

AIM This paper reports a study examining how nursing home staff experienced working with residents' families. BACKGROUND Working collaboratively with the family in residential aged care to provide care is consistent with nursing philosophy. The quality of the experience, however, is frequently fraught with problems for both the family and staff involved. Little research has focused on the nature of family involvement in nursing homes from the perspective of nursing home staff. METHODS The study adopted a naturalistic paradigm. Data were collected from 30 nursing home staff members drawn from a range of metropolitan and rural facilities in Victoria, Australia by means of conversational in-depth interviews. Issues concerned with how participants constructed the role of the family in the nursing home were explored. The data were collected in 2001-2002. RESULTS Four key elements are presented in this paper: (1) Making the transition; (2) Forming ties; (3) Keeping them at a distance and (4) Unacceptable behaviour. Some nursing home staff have developed a substantive family orientation and had adopted practices which were inclusive of the family. Equally, many attitudes which cast the family into an adversarial and competitive role were noted, and many staff members outlined practices which were indicative of a need to control the family. CONCLUSION A rhetoric of family partnerships is prevalent in some nursing homes. The activities of staff in these homes are still primarily geared towards provision of physical care, and families' needs become secondary to getting the work done. A new model of practice is needed that sees working collaboratively with families as a legitimate and necessary part of the staff role.
Value, Welfare, and Morality: Putting rationality in its place

One kind of metaethical debate between realists and antirealists is about the character of ethical truth, with realists asserting and antirealists denying that truth in moral thought transcends our capacity to find reasons in support of our moral judgments. The antirealist in this kind of debate, no less than the realist, thinks that there is objective moral truth and knowledge. And the truth in question is not merely disquotational. Both parties think that a true moral claim corresponds, in some way or other, to the way the world is. Their disagreement, like that of their counterparts in mathematics, is about the nature of this correspondence. The antirealist sees it as a relation between the claim and the publicly available facts that could be adduced as good reasons to accept it, while the realist sees it as a relation to what he thinks of as the truth condition of the claim – a state of the world that may transcend our ability to detect its presence by way of reasoned argument. This issue is surely an important one, but it is posterior to the more fundamental question that has dominated metaethics in the last half-century. This is the question whether what lies at the heart of moral thought are beliefs capable of genuine truth or noncognitive attitudes that cannot be so assessed: feelings, emotions, desires, preferences, prescriptions, decisions, and the like. Let's use J. L. Mackie's terms “subjectivism” and “objectivism” to name the opposing camps in this older debate.
Gastrointestinal stromal tumours: from KIT to succinate dehydrogenase

The discovery of activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase receptor genes KIT and PDGFRA has led to the development of effective targeted therapies for gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs). Specific genotypes, in part, predict the response to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. However, ~10% of GISTs lack such mutations (often referred to as ‘wild‐type’ GISTs). Recent insights into the biology of ‘wild‐type’ GISTs have resulted in clinically significant subclassification of this heterogeneous group of tumours, a large subset of which are now known to represent succinate dehydrogenase‐deficient GISTs. Recognition of this distinctive class of tumours has critical implications for prognosis, therapy, clinical follow‐up, and genetic counselling. Other uncommon genetic groups include neurofibromatosis type I‐associated and BRAF‐mutant GISTs. This review provides an update on the diagnosis and pathogenesis of these less common classes of GISTs, summarizes the clinical and pathological features associated with particular genotypes, and discusses mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies.
The alcohol industry and public interest science.

AIMS This report argues that the growing involvement of the alcohol industry in scientific research needs to be acknowledged and addressed. It suggests a set of principles to guide ethical decision-making in the future. METHODS We review relevant issues with regard to relationships between the alcohol industry and the international academic community, especially alcohol research scientists. The guiding principles proposed are modelled after expert committee statements, and describe the responsibilities of governmental agencies, the alcohol industry, journal editors and the academic community. These are followed by recommendations designed to inform individuals and institutions about current 'best practices' that are consistent with the principles. FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Growing evidence from the tobacco, pharmaceutical and medical fields suggests that financial interests of researchers may compromise their professional judgement and lead to research results that are biased in favour of commercial interests. It is recommended that the integrity of alcohol science is best served if all financial relationships with the alcoholic beverage industry are avoided. In cases where research funding, consulting, writing assignments and other activities are initiated, institutions, individuals and the alcoholic beverage industry itself are urged to follow appropriate guidelines that will increase the transparency and ethicality of such relationships.
A PSO-based hyper-heuristic for evolving dispatching rules in job shop scheduling

Automated heuristic design for job shop scheduling has been an interesting and challenging research topic in the last decade. Various machine learning and optimising techniques, usually referred to as hyper-heuristics, have been applied to facilitate the design task. Two main approaches are either to utilise a general structure for dispatching rules and optimise its parameters or to simultaneously search for suitable structures and their parameters. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, we focus on the first approach and develop new representations that are flexible enough to represent diverse rules and powerful enough to cope with complex shop conditions. Particle swarm optimisation is used in the proposed hyper-heuristic to find optimal rules based on the representations. The results suggest that the new representations are effective for different shop conditions and obtained rules are very competitive as compared to those evolved by genetic programming. Analyses also show that the proposed hyper-heuristic is significantly faster than genetic programming based hyper-heuristic.
Nucleotide sequence of the cell wall proteinase gene of Streptococcus cremoris Wg2

A 6.5-kilobase HindIII fragment that specifies the proteolytic activity of Streptococcus cremoris Wg2 was sequenced entirely. The nucleotide sequence revealed two open reading frames (ORFs), a small ORF1 with 295 codons and a large ORF2 containing 1,772 codons. For both ORFs, there was no stop codon on the HindIII fragment. A partially overlapping PstI fragment was used to locate the translation stop of the large ORF2. The entire ORF2 contained 1,902 coding triplets, followed by an apparently rho-independent terminator sequence. The inferred amino acid sequence would result in a protein of 200 kilodaltons. Both ORFs have their putative transcription and translation signals in a 345-base-pair ClaI fragment. ORF2 is preceded by a promoter region containing a 15-base-pair complementary direct repeat. Both the truncated 33- and the 200-kilodalton proteins have a signal peptide-like N-terminal amino acid sequence. The protein specified by ORF2 contained regions of extensive homology with serine proteases of the subtilisin family. Specifically, amino acid sequences involved in the formation of the active site (viz., Asp-32, His-64, and Ser-221 of the subtilisins) are well conserved in the S. cremoris Wg2 proteinase. The homologous sequences are separated by nonhomologous regions which contain several inserts, most notably a sequence of approximately 200 amino acids between the His and Ser residues of the active site.
Teaching English as an International/Lingua Franca or Mainstream Standard Language? Unheard Voices from the Classroom

Over the last two decades there has been an upsurge in the voices among TESOL/applied linguistics scholars calling for the teaching of English as an International (EIL) and Lingua Franca (ELF) language as opposed to the mainstream Standard English (MSE). These calls seem to be rather theoretical than empirical intellectual debates among those scholars without taking on board the voices of English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers and learners themselves as stakeholders. Focusing on a Sudanese EFL context, the present study therefore duly aims at empirically contributing to this intellectual debate by involving those stakeholders in the debate and by offering a reconciliatory third way forward. The study attempts to address two main research questions: (i) what kind of English(es) do Sudanese EFL teachers and learners want to teach, learn and identify with? And (ii) how do they view EIL and ELF language and to what extent are they willing to teach and learn this variety in the classroom? The study adopted a qualitative interview-based methodology and thirteen EFL teachers and learners took part in the investigation by allowing face-to-face interviews. Results of data analysis showed that both teachers and learners reportedly prefer to teach, learn and identify with the mainstream Standard English. They also showed unawareness of EIL/ELF as an emerging and competing variety to the MSE. Teachers and learners also reported varied views towards the potentials of teaching and learning EIL/ELF in the classroom. The pedagogical implications and insights for TESOL research and pedagogy were discussed.
Biosilicate® and low‐level laser therapy improve bone repair in osteoporotic rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a novel bioactive material (Biosilicate®) and low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) on bone fracture consolidation in osteoporotic rats. Forty female Wistar rats were submitted to ovariectomy (OVX) to induce osteopenia. Eight weeks after surgery, the animals were randomly divided into four groups of 10 animals each: a bone defect control group (CG); a bone defect filled with Biosilicate group (BG); a bone defect filled with Biosilicate and irradiated with LLLT at 60 J/cm2 group (BG60); and a bone defect filled with Biosilicate and irradiated with LLLT at 120 J/cm2 group (BG120). Bone defects were surgically performed on both tibias. The size of particle used for Biosilicate was 180–212 µm. Histopathological analysis showed that bone defects were predominantly filled with the biomaterial in specimens treated with Biosilicate. LLLT with either 60 or 120 J/cm2 was able to increase collagen, Cbfa‐1, VGEF and COX‐2 expression in the circumjacent cells of the biomaterial. A morphometric analysis revealed that the Biosilicate + laser groups showed a higher amount of newly formed bone. Our results indicate that laser therapy improves bone repair process in contact with Biosilicate as a result of increasing bone formation, as well as COX‐2 and Cbfa‐1 immunoexpression, angiogenesis and collagen deposition in osteoporotic rats. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Brain carnitine deficiency causes nonsyndromic autism with an extreme male bias: A hypothesis

Could 10–20% of autism be prevented? We hypothesize that nonsyndromic or “essential” autism involves extreme male bias in infants who are genetically normal, but they develop deficiency of carnitine and perhaps other nutrients in the brain causing autism that may be amenable to early reversal and prevention. That brain carnitine deficiency might cause autism is suggested by reports of severe carnitine deficiency in autism and by evidence that TMLHE deficiency − a defect in carnitine biosynthesis − is a risk factor for autism. A gene on the X chromosome (SLC6A14) likely escapes random X‐inactivation (a mixed epigenetic and genetic regulation) and could limit carnitine transport across the blood‐brain barrier in boys compared to girls. A mixed, common gene variant‐environment hypothesis is proposed with diet, minor illnesses, microbiome, and drugs as possible risk modifiers. The hypothesis can be tested using animal models and by a trial of carnitine supplementation in siblings of probands. Perhaps the lack of any Recommended Dietary Allowance for carnitine in infants should be reviewed. Also see the video abstract here: https://youtu.be/BuRH_jSjX5Y
Impaired differentiation of HPRT‐deficient dopaminergic neurons: A possible mechanism underlying neuronal dysfunction in Lesch‐Nyhan syndrome

Lesch‐Nyhan syndrome is a hereditary disorder of purine metabolism causing overproduction of uric acid and neurological problems including spasticity, choreoathetosis, mental retardation, and compulsive self‐mutilation. The syndrome is caused by a defect in the enzyme hypoxanthine‐guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT), which converts guanine and hypoxanthine to the nucleotides GMP and IMP. There is evidence that the neurological problems are due to an adverse effect of the HPRT deficiency on the survival and/or development of dopaminergic neurons, specifically. Here we report that HPRT‐deficient PC12 mutants that have a normal or near normal dopamine content (55–97% of that of wild‐type cells) fail to undergo neuronal differentiation induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) when the de novo pathway of purine synthesis is partially inhibited. However, nerve growth factor‐induced differentiation is near normal under these conditions in PC12 HPRT‐deficient mutants containing much lower dopamine levels (<8% of that of wild type cells), indicating a neurotoxic effect of the endogenous dopamine in the mutants. The degree of inhibition of the de novo pathway of purine synthesis was the same in both classes of HPRT‐deficient mutants. Expression of BCl‐2 in a PC12 mutant that has a normal dopamine content allowed partial NGF‐induced differentiation suggesting that the apoptotic pathway might be involved in the failure of differentiation when the de novo pathway of purine synthesis is partially inhibited. J. Neurosci. Res. 53:78–85, 1998. Published 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
The Evolution of Post‐Communist Systems

I propose in this article a new interpretation of the evolution of post‐communist systems by comparing the evolutions in Central and Eastern Europe and in China. Transition is reinterpreted as the result of a collapse of communist state structures in Central and Eastern Europe and, in China, in contrast, as the result of the will to prevent such an outcome. This reconceptualization helps us to better understand the emergence of bad institutions and corruption in Eastern Europe under the market economy as well as the absence of political liberalization in China and the strengthening of the power of the Communist Party in recent years.
The Human Ether-A-Go-Go–Related Gene Activator NS1643 Enhances Epilepsy-Associated KCNQ Channels

Human ether-a-go-go–related gene (hERG) and KCNQ channels are two classes of voltage-gated potassium channels. Specific mutations have been identified that are causal for type II long QT (LQT2) syndrome, neonatal epilepsy, and benign familial neonatal convulsions. Increasing evidence from clinical studies suggests that LQT2 and epilepsy coexist in some patients. Therefore, an integral approach to investigating and treating the two diseases is likely more effective. In the current study, we found that NS1643 [1,3-bis-(2-hydroxy-5-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-urea], a previously reported hERG activator, is also an activator of KCNQ channels. It potentiates the neuronal KCNQ2, KCNQ4, and KCNQ2/Q3 channels, but not the cardiac KCNQ1. The effects of NS1643 on the KCNQ2 channel include left shifting of voltage for reaching 50% of the maximum conductance and slowing of deactivation. Analysis of the dose-response curve of NS1643 revealed an EC50 value of 2.44 ± 0.25 μM. A hydrophobic phenylalanine (F137) located at the middle region of the voltage-sensing domain was identified as critical for NS1643 activity on KCNQ2. When testing NS1643 effects in rescuing LQT2 hERG mutants and the KCNQ2 BFNC mutants, we found it is particularly efficacious in some cases. Considering the substantial relationship between LQT2 and epilepsy, these findings reveal that NS1643 is a useful compound to elucidate the causal connection of LQT2 and epilepsy. More generally, this may provide a strategy in the development of therapeutics for LQT2 and epilepsy.
The prognostic value of p53 positive in colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study

This retrospective cohort study aimed to discuss the prognostic value of p53 positive in colorectal cancer. A total of 124 consecutive patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were evaluated at the National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College from 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2010. The expression of p53 in colorectal cancer was examined by immunohistochemistry. Based on the expression levels of p53, the 124 patients were divided into a p53 positive group and a p53 negative group. In this study, 72 patients were in the p53 positive group and 52 in the p53 negative group. The two groups were well balanced in gender, age, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiologists scores, and number of lymph nodes harvested. p53 positive was associated with carcinoembryonic antigen ≥5 ng/mL (p = 0.036), gross type (p = 0.037), degree of tumor differentiation (p = 0.026), pathological tumor stage (p = 0.019), pathological node stage (p = 0.004), pathological tumor–node–metastasis stage (p = 0.017), nerve invasion (p = 0.008), and vessel invasion (p = 0.018). Tumor site, tumor size, and pathological pattern were not significantly different between these two groups. Disease-free survival and overall survival in the p53 positive group were significantly shorter than the p53 negative group (p = 0.021 and 0.025, respectively). Colorectal cancer patients with p53 positive tended to be related to a higher degree of malignancy, advanced tumor–node–metastasis stage, and shorter disease-free survival and overall survival. p53 positive was independently an unfavorable prognostic marker for colorectal cancer patients.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Influenza-Associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Abstract Background Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) therapy for patients with influenza A (H1N1)–related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been described once all other therapeutic options have been exhausted. The current report reviews our institutional experience and lessons learned in 18 consecutive patients. Methods Between December 2009 and March 2011, 18 patients underwent ECMO therapy for severe H1N1-related ARDS. Mean age was 40 ± 18 years (range 4–67 years). Ten patients (56%) received venoarterial cannulation (v-a ECMO) while venovenous cannulation (v-v ECMO) was initiated in the remaining patients (n = 8, 44%). To identify risk factors of adverse outcome, univariate analysis was performed for clinical parameters. Results Successful ECMO weaning was possible in 44% (n = 8) of patients and overall mortality was 61% (n = 11). Seven of the eight patients who could be successfully weaned from ECMO support fully recovered. Survival within the v-a ECMO group (60%) was superior to the v-v ECMO group (13%; p = 0.06). Two patients (11%) required re-exploration of the axillary artery cannulation site. No further adverse events associated with ECMO implantation occurred. Outcome was better when the time of severe deoxygenation (Pao 2 < 70 mm Hg) despite maximally invasive respiratory support to ECMO implantation was less than 6 hours (odds ratio: 2.4; p = 0.05). Conclusions ARDS associated with H1N1 remains a devastating clinical picture. In our hands, ECMO support offered survival to 40% of patients with otherwise fatal prognosis. While v-v ECMO remains the method of choice for patients suffering an isolated ARDS in the setting of stable hemodynamic conditions, v-a ECMO may be considered if the clinical picture of ARDS is aggravated by systemic inflammatory response syndrome with the requirement of high dose vasopressor support.