Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Molecular Biology of Nucleotide Excision Repair of DNA: Recent Progress

SUMMARY Recent years have witnessed significant progress towards understanding the molecular mechanism of nucleotide excision repair in living cells. Biochemical studies in Escherichia coli, and genetic and molecular studies in lower and higher eukaryotes have revealed an unexpected complexity suggesting interesting protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions. This review considers selected aspects of nucleotide excision repair in E. coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and mammalian cells, with a particular emphasis on new observations and on models that may provide explanations for the complexity evident from genetic and biochemical studies.
Risk factors for common mental disorders in women

Background The determinants of common mental disorders in women have not been described in longitudinal studies from a low-income country. Method Population-based cohort study of 2494 women aged 18 to 50 years, in India. The Revised Clinical Interview Schedule was used for the detection of common mental disorders. Results There were 39 incident cases of common mental disorder in 2166 participants eligible for analysis (12-month rate 1.8%, 95% CI 1.3–2.4%). The following baseline factors were independently associated with the risk for common mental disorder: poverty (low income and having difficulty making ends meet); being married as compared with being single; use of tobacco; experiencing abnormal vaginal discharge; reporting a chronic physical illness; and having higher psychological symptom scores at baseline. Conclusions Programmes to reduce the burden of common mental disorder in women should target poorer women, women with chronic physical illness and who have gynaecological symptoms, and women who use tobacco.
New Nano-Molecule Kurumi and Raman Spectroscopy using ab initio, Hartree-Fock Method

btained in the methods Restrict Hartree-Fock of thfirst principles (ab initio), on the set of basis used indicate that the simulated molecule C 13 H 20 BeLi 2 SeSi/C 13 H 19 BeLi2SeSi features the structure polar-apolar-polar predominant. The set of basis used that have are correlation consistent polarized Triple-zeta (CC-pVTZ) and Pople’s basis sets six gaussian functions in the shell, three double zeta Gaussian functions, Slater type orbitals with polarization function (6-311G** (3df, 3pd)). In the CC-pVTZ base set, the charge density in relation to 6-311G** (3df, 3pd) is 50% lower. The length of the molecule C13H 20BeLi2SeSi is of 15.799A. The Raman spectrum was calculated indicating the characteristic of the nano-molecule and their frequency (cm-1) were obtained in the set of bases used. The highest for Raman scattering activities peaks are in the frequency 3,348cm-1 with 7.107609729 A4/amu and 2,163 cm-1 with 8.902805583 A4/amu, for CC-pVTZ and 6-311G** (3df, 3pd), respectively. As the bio-inorganic molecule C13H20BeLi2SeSi is the basis for a new creation of a biomembrane, later calculations that challenge the current concepts of biomembrane shouldadvance to such a purpose. The new nano-molecule Kurumi is well characterize computationally. As its scientific name 3-lithio-3-(6-{3-selena-8-beryllatricyclo [3.2.1.0²,⁴] oct-6-en-2-yl} hexyl) -1-sila-2-lithacyclopropane
Human Stereopsis

This paper reviews much of the basic literature on stereopsis for the purpose of providing information about the ability of humans to utilize stereoscopic information under operational conditions. This review is organized around five functional topics that may be important for the design of many stereoscopic display systems: geometry of stereoscopic depth perception, visual persistence, perceptual interaction among stereoscopic stimuli, neurophysiology of stereopsis, and theoretical considerations. The paper concludes with the presentation of several basic ideas related to the design of stereoscopic displays.
Expression, purification, and characterization of an exo-beta-D-fructosidase of Streptococcus mutans

A genetic library of Streptococcus mutans GS-5, constructed in an Escherichia coli plasmid vector, was screened for cells which could utilize sucrose as the sole carbon and energy source. The recombinant plasmid pFRU1, containing a 4.2-kilobase pair insert of S. mutans DNA, was shown to confer this phenotype. Further characterization of the gene product encoded by pFRU1 revealed that the enzyme was a beta-D-fructosidase with the highest specificity for the beta (2----6)-linked fructan polymer levan. The enzyme could also hydrolyze inulin [beta (2----1)-linked fructan], sucrose, and raffinose with 34, 21, and 12%, respectively, of the activity observed for levan. The gene (designated fruA) appeared to be expressed under its own control in E. coli, as judged by the lack of influence on gene product activity of induction or repression of the beta-galactosidase promoter adjacent to the insertion site on the cloning vector. The protein was purified to homogeneity, as judged by silver staining of purified protein in denaturing and reducing conditions in polyacrylamide gels, from sonic lysate of E. coli, as well as from culture supernatants of S. mutans GS-5 grown in a chemostat at low dilution rate with fructose as the sole carbohydrate source. Both purified proteins had an apparent molecular mass of 140,000 daltons in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were immunologically related and comigrated in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as determined by Western blotting with antisera raised against the cloned gene product, and were identical in all physical and biochemical properties tested. The pH optimum of the enzyme acting on fructan polymers was 5.5, with a significant amount of activity remaining at pH 4.0. The optimum pH for sucrose degradation was broader and lower, with a peak at approximately 4.5. Enzyme activity was inhibited almost completely by Hg2+ and Ag2+, inhibited partially by Cu2+, not inhibited by fluoride ion or Tris, and slightly stimulated by Mn2+ and Co2+. Fructan polymers were attacked exohydrolytically by the enzyme, fructose being the only product released. With sufficient time, both levan and inulin were degraded to completion, with no evidence of product inhibition.
Brand personality appeal, brand relationship quality and WOM transmission: a study of consumer markets in Vietnam

Abstract This study investigates the impact of brand personality appeal on both brand relationship quality and word-of-mouth (WOM) transmission in Vietnam. It also examines the role of consumer attitudes towards advertising and public relations on brand personality appeal as well as brand relationship quality. An empirical test with a sample of 477 consumers by means of structural equation modelling reveals that brand personality appeal has a positive impact on both brand relationship quality and WOM transmission and that brand relationship quality has a positive effect on WOM transmission. Furthermore, attitudes towards public relations have positive impacts on both brand personality appeal and brand relationship quality. Finally, attitudes towards advertising have a positive impact on brand personality appeal but not on brand relationship quality.
Academic Patenting in Europe: Evidence on France, Italy and Sweden from the KEINS Database

This book addresses the critical issue of how and why European universities are changing and learning to compete. Anglo-Saxon universities particularly in the US, the UK and Australia have long been subject to, and responded to, market-based competition in higher education. The authors argue that Continental and Nordic universities and higher education institutes are now facing similar pressures that are leading to a structural transformation of the university sector.
Exportin 1 Mediates Nuclear Export of the Kinetoplastid Spliced Leader RNA

ABSTRACT The kinetoplastid protozoan spliced leader (SL) RNA is the common substrate pre-mRNA utilized in all trans-splicing reactions. Here we show by fluorescence in situ hybridization that the SL RNA is present in the cytoplasm of Leishmania tarentolae and Trypanosoma brucei. Treatment with the karyopherin-specific inhibitor leptomycin B was toxic to T. brucei and eliminated the cytoplasmic SL RNA, suggesting that cytoplasmic SL RNA was dependent on the nuclear exporter exportin 1 (XPO1). Ectopic expression of xpo1 with a C506S mutation in T. brucei conferred resistance to leptomycin B. A reduction in SL RNA 3′ extension removal and 5′ methylation of nucleotide U4 was observed in wild-type T. brucei treated with leptomycin B, suggesting that the cytoplasmic stage is necessary for SL RNA biogenesis. This study demonstrates spatial and mechanistic similarities between the posttranscriptional trafficking of the kinetoplastid protozoan SL RNA and the metazoan cis-spliceosomal small nuclear RNAs.
The Bologna Process in Bosnia-Herzegovina:Strengthening, Re-Branding, or Undermining Higher Education?

Several years after Bosnia-Herzegovina formally agreed to partake in the Bologna Process of higher education reform, confusion, frustration, and misconceptions still abound among the country‘s students and educators about what Bologna actually means. This paper will analyze and discuss the process of integrating the Bologna process into college and university English language programs in BiH.The paper will use a number of sources in order to facilitate an in-depth exploration of the complexities surrounding Bologna implementation. Official guidelines, texts, and declarations published by the Council of Europe about the Bologna process will be a major source of research for this paper. The paper will also incorporate interviews with students, assistants, and professors from English departments of local universities to understand the perceived reality of these changes in college-level English programs. Drawing these sources together will be the case study of a year-long Council of Europe project devoted to curricular reform in BiH, one which included participation of both education experts and local English professors. By examining these sources together, this paper will contrast and analyze the fundamental tenets of the Bologna reforms, as well as the onthe- ground perceptions of the same process among English language teachers and learners. The paper will seek to pinpoint some sources of confusion between these positions, and to discuss the broader implications of these disconnects.
Dynamics of soluble adhesion molecule levels in patients with pollinosis.

OBJECTIVES To define the dynamics of systemic and local soluble adhesion molecule levels and to discuss the role of these molecules in the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis. DESIGN Randomized control trial. SUBJECTS Twelve volunteers with Japanese cedar pollinosis and 7 healthy volunteers. INTERVENTIONS The levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1), soluble E-selectin, and soluble L-selectin in serum samples and nasal epithelial lining fluids (ELF) from 12 patients with pollinosis were measured 5 times throughout the allergy preseason to postseason, and the results were compared with those from 7 healthy subjects. RESULTS The levels of sICAM-1 (P < .05) and sVCAM-1 (P < .05) in sera were up-regulated, and the levels of soluble L-selectin (P < .01) in sera were down-regulated during the early stage of the season in the allergic subjects. The difference between the levels of sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1 in sera in the early and mid-season was statistically significant in the allergic subjects (P < .05). The levels of sICAM-1 in ELF were up-regulated during the early and mid-season. The levels of sVCAM-1, soluble E-selectin, and soluble L-selectin in ELF were undetectably low throughout the preseason to postseason. CONCLUSION There is evidence of the unique stage-dependent differential contributions of various soluble adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis of seasonal allergic rhinitis with a small amount of natural allergen provocation.
Long-term hurricane damage effects on tropical forest tree growth and mortality

Hurricane winds can have large impacts on forest structure and dynamics. To date, most evaluations of hurricane impacts have focused on short-term responses after a hurricane, often lacked pre-hurricane measurements, and missed responses occurring over longer time scales. Here, we use a long-term data set (1974–2009, 35 years) of tree stems (>3 cm in diameter at 1.3 m aboveground) in four sites (0.35 ha in total) in montane rain forest (∼1600 m elevation) in Jamaica to investigate the patterns of crown damage in individual stems by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, and how subsequent growth and mortality were affected by hurricane damage, sprouting, and the incidence of multiple stems. Topographical position on a mountain ridge was the best predictor of crown damage, followed by crown size and species identity. The average diameter growth rate of stems that survived the hurricane was greater than that pre-hurricane for the whole 21-yr post-hurricane period. Growth rates of stems with damaged crowns increased les.
Influence of exercise on free amino acid concentrations in rat tissues.

Levels of free amino acids in muscle, liver, and plasma were measured in rats that had either swum (1 or 2 h) or run (until exhausted). Exercise lowered alanine levels in all three tissues except for liver of exhausted rats. Exercise decreased the plasma levels of the acidic amino acids and their amides. Glutamate and glutamine levels were depressed in muscle, and the glutamine level was lowered in liver by exercise. Aspartate concentration was lowered by exercise in liver but elevated in muscle. The branched-chain amino acids were generally elevated by exercise as were tyrosine, phenylalanine, methionine, and lysine. Plasma 3-methylhistidine concentration was also elevated by an exercise bout. The changes observed in the amino acid contents of muscle, liver, and plasma are consistent with the increase in protein degradation during exercise that we previously reported. The lowered levels of some amino acids (e.g., alanine, glutamine, glutamate) seem to suggest that amino acid catabolism and/or gluconeogenesis is increased by exercise.
Precursors, Mediators and Problem Drinking: Path Analytic Models for Men and Women

Direct and mediating effects of mechanisms hypothesized to account for the association between parental problem drinking and later problem drinking by offspring were investigated. Specifically, a “negative affect” submodel was proposed in which family environment, self-esteem, alienation, likelihood of attaining valued goals, psychopathology, and drinking motives would all mediate the parental-problem-drinking to offspring-problem-drinking relationship. Subjects were 350 female and 300 male, eighteen to twenty-three year-old undergraduates. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed differences in a majority of study variables between subjects with and without a family history of parental problem drinking. Structural equation modeling identified associations separately for paternal and maternal problem drinking and offspring alcohol use. Direct and mediating effects were tested with path analysis separately for male and female respondents. Both parents' drinking affected later problematic alcohol use by offspring. The opposite-sexed parents' drinking had a more negative influence on subjects' self-perception. For both men and women, parental problem drinking reduced adaptive family functioning, which was subsequently linked to problem personality characteristics, more personal drinking motives, and greater alcohol involvement. Specific mediating mechanisms varied between models for each sex. Implications regarding these models are discussed.
A prospective, comparative evaluation of axillary hair removal with an 808-nm diode laser at different fluences

The removal of unwanted body hair has recently become an increasingly prevalent trend, especially among women, and photoepilation by laser or other light-based technology has become one of the most popular noninvasive procedures performed in dermatology and plastic surgery [1]. Current laser treatments are based on the mechanism of selective photothermolysis, in which laser energy heats the target, allowing the surrounding structures to remain relatively intact. In laser hair removal, melanin in the hair shaft acts as the target chromophore for targeting hair follicles. Energy is transferred to the associated stem cells and follicular bulb, while selective cooling of the epidermis minimizes epidermal injury and damage to epidermal melanin [2]. Various wavelengths have been proven to target melanin in many studies. Suitable laser and light sources include intense pulsed light sources, ruby lasers (694 nm), alexandrite lasers (755 nm), diode laser systems (800 nm), and long-pulse neodymiumdoped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) lasers (1,064 nm) [3]. In the peer-reviewed literature, diode laser systems have emerged Hee Yong Kang, Eun Soo Park, Seung Min Nam
Coordinated Control of Cascaded Current-Source Converter Based Offshore Wind Farm

Offshore wind farms with cascaded PWM current-source converters (CSCs) at both generator- and grid-side can eliminate the need for bulky central offshore converter platform, which is usually used in a voltage-source converter (VSC) based counterpart. This novel system structure can simplify the system configuration and operation. However, the wind speed inconsistency at each turbine causes different dc-link current requirements for each CSC. This causes a considerable challenge for systems in which each CSC shares equal dc-link current. In order to overcome the problem, a coordinated control scheme for the dc-link current regulation, which considers wind speed difference of each turbine, is proposed. This control scheme enables the system to operate at minimum dc-link current, contributing to a lower operation losses. In the meantime, the independent control capability of each generator is guaranteed (e.g., maximum power tracking to make full utilization of available wind energy). Furthermore, the whole wind farm control strategy, which consists of wind farm supervisory control (WFSC), local wind turbine control and centralized grid control, is investigated and studied, where maximum power tracking and power limitation modes can be easily achieved. Both simulation and experimental verification of the proposed system with use of two permanent-magnet synchronous generators (PMSGs) are provided.
Severe anemia and melena caused by pyeloduodenal fistula due to renal stone-associated squamous cell carcinoma

Pyeloduodenal fistula is a rare condition and its association with malignancy is even rarer. Herein we report the case of a 66-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital with a three-month history of intermittent melena and a more than 20-year history of right-side renal stones. Computed tomography showed a heterogeneous right renal mass with a staghorn stone that had invaded the duodenum and caused an internal fistula. An upper gastrointestinal series showed pyeloduodenal fistula. The patient underwent an exploratory operation and a biopsy was taken at the peripelvic region. Pathological examination verified the existence of squamous cell carcinoma. To our knowledge, this is the first case of pyeloduodenal fistula associated with renal stones, squamous cell carcinoma and upper urinary tract calculus presenting on melena. We report on the features of this rare entity but also review and summarize the etiology, diagnosis and treatment options that can be extrapolated from the existing literature.
Human and Technological Dimensions of Making in FabLab

Abstract In this research, we studied the human dimensions of experience and knowledge, confidence, motivation, and fun with regard to four technological dimensions referring to a FabLab environment: 2D and 3D design, tools and machines, prototyping with electronics, and programming. An intensive, two-week training period for high school students in digital fabrication and design was utilized as a testbed to evaluate how the participants modified their perception of the four human dimensions during the training. We identified that prototyping with electronics and programming were the most significant obstacles. In addition, the perception of acquired knowledge and confidence had increased considerably after training except for the programming domain. FabLab trainers can utilize the trainees’ perceptions on different dimensions to emphasize the specific design aspects of the activity in order to achieve the training goals. We also expect that a detailed description of the experiment setup can be useful to other researchers and practitioners while organizing activities at FabLab.
Regional Inflation Convergence In Turkey

The aim of the present article is to analyze the convergence of regional inflation rates in Turkey from 2004 to 2015 by adopting a distribution dynamics approach, namely discrete time Markovian chains. Convergence across regional inflation rates is politically a crucial matter for two reasons. First, if inflation rates differ largely between regions, monetary policy can hardly satisfy the needs of all regions equally. Such that, places which experience high inflation rates naturally require a contractionary monetary policy while the ones which experience low inflation need rather an expansionary monetary stance. Second, inflation differentials are likely to create a regional dispersion in real interest rates which induce differential effects on local economic growth. The outcomes of our research can be summarized in two groups. First, inflation disparities have declined over time, especially during the post-crisis period; after 2010. Hence, aggregate price stabilization and disinflation process in Turkey is coupled with convergence in inflation rates across regions. These results are confirmed using several methodologies (panel unit root tests and Kernel Density Estimates). Second, in addition to the findings in the literature, we found that regions change their relative inflation rate positions quite often. This indicates that regional inflation behaivor is random and non-structural as the relatively high and low inflationary places tend to change their quintiles frequently in time. Similarly, a geographical randomness of inflation is also verified using Moran I’s test.
Performance of generalized Rake receiver with imperfect channel and interference estimates

The Rake and the generalized Rake (G-Rake) receivers are the most commonly used receiver structures in cellular DS-CDMA systems. In this paper we analyze how imperfect channel and noise correlation estimates affect the G-Rake and Rake receiver performances in terms of SIR degradation compared to SIR achieved assuming ideal channel and noise correlation information. The expressions derived in the paper gives a possibility to do model validation. For instance, for the G-Rake case, one can get an indication about the optimal number of probing fingers to be used to maximize the SIR into the detector as function of the number of symbols used for channel and noise covariance estimation. Some performace examples are given in the paper within the framework of WCDMA.