Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reactive phosphate ester of the carcinogen 2-(N-hydroxy)acetamido-fluorene.

1. Reaction of 2-(N-acetoxy)-acetamidofluorene with orthophosphate buffer at pH7 yielded a large quantity of water-soluble fluorene derivatives, which showed absorption peaks at 303, 290 and 280nm. Tris buffer under similar conditions gave negligible reaction. 2. Hydrolysis of polar material with acid or alkaline phosphatases liberated equimolar amounts of inorganic phosphate and an ether-extractable fluorene derivative. On the basis of its u.v. spectrum, R(F) values after paper chromatography, solubility in alkali and colour with spray reagents, the derivative was characterized tentatively as 2-acetamido-5-hydroxyfluorene. 3. Polar material also contained a reactive fluorene derivative which gave characteristic reaction products with methionine and guanosine. The reactive derivative was characterized as a phosphate ester of 2-(N-hydroxy)-acetamidofluorene. 4. It is suggested that such reactive phosphate esters may also be some of the ultimate carcinogenic metabolites of carcinogenic aromatic hydroxamic acids.
Wage Adjustment Policies in Russian Firms

Wage adjustments for employees are a reaction mechanism to changing market conditions and form a significant part of pay policy. Though various attempts to explore wage levels and wage differentials have been made, wage adjustment policies remain an understudied topic. This paper analyses the determinants of wage adjustments based on data from Russian enterprises 2015–17. The analysis is based on detailed data from an employer survey which covers more than 5,000 firms in both the public and private sector. The study adopts probit models to identify the reasons which determine wage revisions, depending on internal employer characteristics and external labour market conditions. The results are in line with previous research on the topic (Bayo-Moriones et al., 2016) and suggest that both internal and external factors influence wage adjustments. A wage adjustment is a reflection of the ability to pay meaning that revisions are often made by successful firms with high employee turnover. Institutional frameworks, especially trade union activity, affects the firm’s decision to adjust wages despite the general opinion on the insignificance of unions in Russia. This study contributes to the limited literature by analysing the determinants of wage policies depending on the firm’s characteristics. This is the first study of its kind based on extensive Russian data.
Essays in Debt, Income, and Inequality

This dissertation is comprised of three essays on various institutions influencing individuals’ incomes and the aggregate effects of those institutions on social welfare. Chapter one investigates a large government-sponsored student loan program known as income-driven repayment (IDR). By aligning the repayment burden with the returns to college, IDR may prevent default and improve financial well-being among credit-constrained borrowers but carries a potential cost to social welfare through moral hazard. In this chapter, I estimate the causal impact of IDR on repayment rates, balances, homeownership, and consumption proxies, and find that enrolling in IDR is associated with a dramatic decrease in delinquencies and a significant increase in credit card spending and homeownership rates. Chapter two focuses on the private market (or lack thereof) for income insurance products. Specifically, I empirically test the hypothesis that adverse selection prevents the profitable sale of income-share agreements (ISAs) for college financing. By assessing the predictive power of survey responses concerning expected future income, I find evidence that student borrowers hold private knowledge of their future income which, under reasonable assumptions, can cause a hypothetical ISA market to completely unravel. Chapter three, which is coauthored with Henry Farber, Ilyana Kuziemko, and Suresh Naidu, examines the role of unions in aggregate income trends over the twentieth century. In this chapter, we present a number of results that, across a variety of identifying assumptions, suggest unions have had a significant, equalizing effect on the income distribution over a long sample period.
Congenital Multiple Ocular Defects with Falciform Retinal Folds among Japanese Black Cattle

To clarify the morphologic features of the ocular disease recently occurring among Japanese Black cattle in southern Kyushu, 6 globes from 3 Japanese Black cattle, between 11 and 20 months old (cow Nos. 1 to 3), were pathologically examined. cow Nos. 1 and 2 were sired by the same Japanese Black bull, and cow No. 3 was sired by the ancestor (sire) of the former bull. The ocular lesions were pathologically similar to each other, except for the left eye of cow No. 1. The ocular lesions of 5 globes were characterized by microphthalmia, hypoplasia, and/or dysplasia of the lenses; persistence of the primary vitreous; and retinal dysplasia with total nonattachment. The left globe from cow No. 1 had no lens and severe hypoplasia and nonattachment of the retina. Because dysplastic retinal lesions that formed crescentic folds and a central column were the most characteristic features of the eyes, the falciform retinal fold with congenital nonattachment was the most likely disease entity. Although the cause of the ocular disease could not be clarified with the present study, an inherited ocular defect of the bull and its ancestor was suspected.
The effects of glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor on the in vitro matured porcine oocyte transcriptome

It is well documented that oocytes from small antral follicles are less competent than those derived from large follicles, and we have previously shown that glial cell line‐derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) enhances developmental competence in oocytes from antral follicles. Exactly how GDNF effects this change and if it depends on the stage of oocyte development is currently unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the transcriptomic effects of follicle size and GDNF on the in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes. Microarray analysis uncovered differentially expressed transcripts among in vitro‐matured porcine oocytes from different‐size antral follicles, in the absence or presence of GDNF. Oocytes isolated from small follicles showed a lower state of maturation than those from large follicles, with several transcripts associated with meiotic arrest. Addition of GDNF to the culture media had effects that depended on the stage of the follicle from which the oocyte was isolated, with those from small follicles showing decreased expression of genes associated with acetyltransferase activity while those from large follicles showed decreased metabolic activity. In summary, our results revealed considerable differences between the transcriptomes of small‐ and large‐follicle‐derived oocytes. Furthermore, GDNF affects the developmental competence of oocytes in follicle‐stage dependent manner. Thus, improving our understanding of the requirements for successful in vitro maturation of porcine oocytes will inform current reproductive technologies, with implications for the future of animal and human health. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Performance Evaluation of the Implementation of the 2013/34/EU Directive in Romania on the Basis of Corporate Social Responsibility Reports

The paper highlights part of the results of an investigation-based analysis. The research was carried out at the level of the 680 public interest entities with over 500 employees, for the first time enforced by law, together with the financial statements for 2017 reported in 2018, to publish non-financial social responsibility, the environment, and promotion of an ethical and sustainable business with sufficient and measurable care for the employees, the environment, and the local community. The analysis was extended to a representative sample of 246 entities, for which we analyzed both the degree of compliance of entities in Romania with their obligation to make non-financial information public and the determination of the level of compliance of the content of non-financial reports in depending on the minimum requirements of the directive. Thus, the most common published non-financial information has been identified, which has allowed for the definition of a sustainable and competitive business. The degree of compliance was also determined at the territorial, structural, and legal level. Moreover, this scientific study emphasizes the strong connections that exist between key concepts, such as: corporate social responsibility, intellectual capital, environmental protection, sustainability, ethics and integrity in today’s contemporary society.
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Health-Related Quality of Life: Findings From a Bilingual Inner-City Patient Population

Objective To determine whether completing a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program would affect the general health, health-related quality of life, sleep quality, and family harmony of Spanish- and English-speaking medical patients at an inner-city health center. Materials and Methods An intervention group of 68 patients (48 Spanish-speaking and 20 English-speaking) completed the SF-36 Health Survey and two additional questions about sleep quality and family harmony before and after completing the 8-week MBSR program. A comparison group of 18 Spanish-speaking patients who received no intervention completed the same questionnaire at the same intervals. Results Sixty-six percent of the total intervention group completed the 8-week MBSR program. There was significant comorbidity of medical and mental health diagnoses among the intervention and comparison groups, with no differences in the mean number of diagnoses of the total intervention group, the comparison group, or the Spanish- or English-speaking intervention subgroups. Compared with the comparison group, the intervention group showed statistically significant improvement on five of the eight SF-36 measures, and no improvement on the sleep quality or family harmony items. Conclusions MBSR may be an effective behavioral medicine program for Spanish- and English-speaking inner-city medical patients. Suggestions are given for future research to help clarify the program’s effectiveness for this population.
Differential expression of interleukin-1/Toll-like receptor signaling regulators in microscopic and ulcerative colitis.

AIM To investigate Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling regulators in microscopic and ulcerative colitis patients. METHODS Total RNA and microRNA were isolated from fresh frozen colonic biopsies of non-inflamed controls and patients with active or in-remission collagenous colitis (CC), lymphocytic colitis (LC), or ulcerative colitis (UC). We compared expressions of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK)-2, IRAK-M, interleukin (IL)-37, microRNA (miR)-146a, miR-155, and miR-21 using quantitative real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS IRAK-M expression was increased in LC patients with active disease in histopathological remission (LC-HR; P = 0.02) and UC patients (P = 0.01), but no differences in IRAK-2 expression were detected compared to controls. miR-146a, -155 and -21 expressions were increased in LC-HR (P = 0.04, 0.07, and 0.004) and UC (P = 0.02, 0.04 and 0.03) patients. miR-146a and miR-21 expressions were significantly enhanced in UC patients compared to UC remission (UC-R; P = 0.01 and 0.04). Likewise, active CC patients showed significantly increased expression of miR-155 (P = 0.003) and miR-21 (P = 0.006). IL-37 expression was decreased in both CC (P = 0.03) and LC (P = 0.04) patients with a similar trend in UC patients but not statistically significant, whilst it was increased in UC-R patients compared to controls (P = 0.02) and active UC (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION The identification of differentially expressed miRNAs, IL-37, and IRAK-M suggests different pathophysiologic mechanisms in various disease stages in LC, CC, and UC.
Development of enzyme immunoassays (ELISA and Western blot) for the serological diagnosis of dermatophytosis in symptomatic and asymptomatic cats

Dermatophytosis is the most common fungal infection in cats worldwide and plays an important role in both animal and human health due to their high zoonotic potential. Effective screening is a strong preventive measure and the fungal culture is quite useful but requires full laboratorial experience and it takes a long time to obtain the result. A rapid and accurate screening test for dermatophytosis in cats is crucial for the effective control of disease outbreaks. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of enzyme immunoassays (ELISA and Western blot [WB]) for the rapid and precise diagnosis of dermatophytosis in cats. Seventy cats of various ages were divided into three groups: S (symptomatic, n = 20), AS (asymptomatic, n = 30), and N (negative, n = 20). All animals were submitted to fungal culture and blood samples for carrying out the serological tests. A significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between IgG-specific levels of sera of Microsporum canis positive and negative animals. There was no statistic difference between groups symptomatic and asymptomatic. The ELISA test showed sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 75%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis also showed higher diagnostic accuracy (AUC 0.925). The WB technique detected 13 bands, and the 50 kDa protein was considered the most immunogenic protein, observing reactivity in 83.3% in the symptomatic group and 66.6% in the asymptomatic group. The study concluded that ELISA and WB were useful tools to reliably detect cats that have been exposed to M. canis.
Impact of Treatment and Insurance on Socioeconomic Disparities in Survival after Adolescent and Young Adult Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Population-Based Study

Background: Previous studies documented racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in survival after Hodgkin lymphoma among adolescents and young adults (AYA), but did not consider the influence of combined-modality treatment and health insurance. Methods: Data for 9,353 AYA patients ages 15 to 39 years when diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma during 1988 to 2011 were obtained from the California Cancer Registry. Using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression, we examined the impact of sociodemographic characteristics [race/ethnicity, neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES), and health insurance], initial combined-modality treatment, and subsequent cancers on survival. Results: Over the 24-year study period, we observed improvements in Hodgkin lymphoma–specific survival by diagnostic period and differences in survival by race/ethnicity, neighborhood SES, and health insurance for a subset of more recently diagnosed patients (2001–2011). In multivariable analyses, Hodgkin lymphoma–specific survival was worse for Blacks than Whites with early-stage [HR: 1.68; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14–2.49] and late-stage disease (HR: 1.68; 95% CI, 1.17–2.41) and for Hispanics than Whites with late-stage disease (HR: 1.58; 95% CI, 1.22–2.04). AYAs diagnosed with early-stage disease experienced worse survival if they also resided in lower SES neighborhoods (HR: 2.06; 95% CI, 1.59–2.68). Furthermore, more recently diagnosed AYAs with public health insurance or who were uninsured experienced worse Hodgkin lymphoma–specific survival (HR: 2.08; 95% CI, 1.52–2.84). Conclusion: Our findings identify several subgroups of Hodgkin lymphoma patients at higher risk for Hodgkin lymphoma mortality. Impact: Identifying and reducing barriers to recommended treatment and surveillance in these AYAs at much higher risk of mortality is essential to ameliorating these survival disparities. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(2); 264–73. ©2016 AACR.
Provision of hearing aid services: a comparison between the Nordic countries and the United Kingdom

About one in five adults has some form of hearing impairment. This paper reports on a survey which found significant variation in the provision of hearing aid services across Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Per capita expenditure levels were estimated to vary from under 3 euros in the UK to nearly 10 in Denmark and Norway. Annual figures for the number of people receiving at least one aid varied from around eight per 1000 in the UK and Denmark to 2.2 in Finland. Over 50% of hearing aid users in Norway and Denmark are estimated to have bilateral aids, compared to under 15% in the UK. Estimates of the number of people who have a hearing aid in these countries are considerably lower than the number who have a hearing impairment. More research is needed to verify the true extent of these differences and their cause.
Low-energy laser irradiation accelerates the velocity of tooth movement via stimulation of the alveolar bone remodeling.

INTRODUCTION Previously, the authors have reported the acceleration of tooth movement and osteoclastogenesis on the pressure site in an experimental tooth movement model by low-energy laser irradiation (LELI), which stimulated the RANK/RANKL system and c-fms/macrophage colony-stimulating factor system. However, the effect of LELI on osteogenesis on the tension site is not known clearly. Moreover, the temporal changes in alveolar bone during tooth movement have not been investigated as yet. Therefore, the present study was designed to examine the effects of LELI on alveolar bone remodeling during experimental tooth movement, and observe the temporal bone mineral density (BMD) using micro-computed tomography (muCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS To induce experimental tooth movement in rats, 10 g force was applied to the upper right first molar with Nickel titanium closed-coil. Next, a gallium-aluminum-arsenide (Ga-Al-As) diode laser was used to irradiate the area around the moved tooth, and BMD and the amount of tooth movement were measured by muCT scanning for 21 days. Histopathological examination was also performed. RESULTS The amount of tooth movement in the LELI group was significantly greater than in the non-irradiation group by the end of the experimental period. Further, compared with the non-irradiation group, the fall of BMD was less in the LELI group. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that LELI accelerates the velocity of tooth movement via stimulation of the alveolar bone remodeling.
Vitamin E supplements fail to protect mice from acute MPTP neurotoxicity.

The effect of chronic treatment with vitamin E (VE) on acute 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced neurotoxicity, as assessed by striatal dopamine (DA) depletion, was studied. Male C57B1/6J mice were fed VE (48 mg kg-1 per day, intragastric) for 4, 8, or 12 weeks prior to administration of MPTP (20 mg kg-1, i.p. x 3, 2 h intervals) or its diluent. Brain VE concentration was increased by exogenous supplements for 12 weeks. Striatal DA content was reduced by 85% to 90% after MPTP in control and VE-treated mice. Mice with elevated cerebral VE were not protected from MPTP toxicity, with DA content as an indicator. In conclusion, these findings indicate that moderate elevation of brain VE is not adequate for protecting DA-containing neurons against the toxic actions of a high dose of MPTP.
Relevance of resonance frequency analysis to evaluate dental implant stability: simulation and histomorphometrical animal experiments.

BACKGROUND Resonance frequency analysis (RFA) is applied to evaluate implant stability, and the clinical relevance of this application is accepted. However, a discrepancy between resonance frequency (RF) and other parameters of implant stability such as implant insertion torque and bone mineral density at the insertion site has been reported. In addition, the relation between RF and histological implant-bone contact has not been well documented. PURPOSE To explain this discrepancy and to clarify the relation between RF and histological implant-bone contact, we conducted the present study. MATERIALS AND METHODS A hydroxyapatite-coated implant, 4 mm diameter and 10 mm length, was used. We placed the implant in a small plastic box vertically and fixed the implant in the box with small screws at different height positions. An 'Osstell' transducer was mounted on the implant and RF was measured with or without loosening the screws. Twenty-four implants were placed in the tibiae of four mini-pigs. The animals were sacrificed 1, 2 and 4 weeks after the placement, and the RF of each implant was measured. Ground sections were prepared and implant-bone contact was histomophometrically measured. RESULTS Loosening the screw at the neck region of the implant remarkably decreased RF compared with the screws of the other regions. Correlation between RF and implant-bone contact, which was measured all around the implant, was not significant (r=0.221, P=0.299). However, the correlation coefficient increased to '0.361' when implant-bone contact was measured at the neck of the implant (P=0.0835), although these two parameters were not statistically correlated. CONCLUSIONS Although RF did not correlate with histological implant-bone contact, the present results demonstrated that a connection between the implant and bone at the neck region of the implant affects RF the most effectively, further suggesting the superiority of RFA in the process of implant treatment and the follow-up. The present results could explain the discrepancy between RFA and other parameters of implant stability.
Internalization of cystatin C in human cell lines

Altered protease activity is considered important for tumour invasion and metastasis, processes in which the cysteine proteases cathepsin B and L are involved. Their natural inhibitor cystatin C is a secreted protein, suggesting that it functions to control extracellular protease activity. Because cystatins added to cell cultures can inhibit polio, herpes simplex and coronavirus replication, which are intracellular processes, the internalization and intracellular regulation of cysteine proteases by cystatin C should be considered. The extension, mechanism and biological importance of this hypothetical process are unknown. We investigated whether internalization of cystatin C occurs in a set of human cell lines. Demonstrated by flow cytometry and confocal microscopy, A‐431, MCF‐7, MDA‐MB‐453, MDA‐MB‐468 and Capan‐1 cells internalized fluorophore‐conjugated cystatin C when exposed to physiological concentrations (1 μm). During cystatin C incubation, intracellular cystatin C increased after 5 min and accumulated for at least 6 h, reaching four to six times the baseline level. Western blotting showed that the internalized inhibitor was not degraded. It was functionally intact and extracts of cells exposed to cystatin C showed a higher capacity to inhibit papain and cathepsin B than control cells (decrease in enzyme activity of 34% and 37%, respectively). The uptake of labelled cystatin C was inhibited by unlabelled inhibitor, suggesting a specific pathway for the internalization. We conclude that the cysteine protease inhibitor cystatin C is internalized in significant quantities in various cancer cell lines. This is a potentially important physiological phenomenon not previously described for this group of inhibitors.