Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of branched chain amino acids on skeletal muscle mitochondrial function in young and elderly adults.

CONTEXT A reduction in maximal mitochondrial ATP production rate (MAPR) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) abundance occurs with age in association with muscle weakness and reduced endurance in elderly people. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) have been extensively used to improve physical performance. OBJECTIVE The objective was to determine whether an 8-h infusion of BCAA enhances MAPR equally in healthy young and elderly adults. METHODS Using a crossover study design, we compared the effect BCAA vs. saline infusion in 12 young (23.0 +/- 0.8 yr) and 12 elderly (70.7 +/- 1.1 yr) participants matched for sex and body mass index. Skeletal muscle MAPR and mtDNA abundance were measured in muscle biopsy samples obtained before and at the end of the 8-h infusion. RESULTS In young participants, MAPR with the substrates glutamate plus malate (supplying electrons to complex I) and succinate plus rotenone (complex II) increased in response to BCAA infusion, relative to a decline in MAPR in response to the saline infusion. In contrast, MAPR was unaffected by BCAA infusion in the elderly participants. Moreover, mtDNA abundance was lower in the elderly compared with the young participants but was unaffected by the BCAA infusion. Insulin and C-peptide concentrations declined over time during the saline infusion, but these declines were prevented by the BCAA infusion. CONCLUSIONS BCAA increased skeletal muscle MAPR in the young participants in comparison with saline, but this effect was not seen in the elderly participants indicating, that unlike in the young, BCAA does not increase muscle mitochondrial function in the elderly.
Financial Strain and Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

ABSTRACT Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has increased over the past decade. Although poverty and sudden financial shock faced by households via unanticipated adverse events, such as sudden loss of income, are among major contributors, the findings of our study suggest that having an adequate stock of savings and financial assets might reduce the probability of household SNAP participation. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we tested whether a household’s emergency savings, asset poverty, and debt burden could predict SNAP participation separately from the effects of income and program participation. Results demonstrate that a household’s lack of emergency savings and asset inadequacy increased the probability of its SNAP participation. Implications for financial practitioners and policy makers are discussed.
Cytotoxic Epstein–Barr virus‐positive large B cell lymphoma: a regulatory B cell‐derived neoplasia?

A new subtype of granzyme B (GrB)‐producing regulatory B cells (Bregs) has been described recently; these peculiar cytotoxic B cells are increased significantly in interleukin (IL)‐21‐rich settings, and in particular during HIV and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection. Our aim is to report a unique case of an EBV‐positive diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with cytotoxic features arisen in an HIV+ patient, and to understand if this lesion may represent a proliferation of neoplastic cytotoxic Bregs.
Transcriptional Activation of Dehalorespiration

Desulfitobacterium dehalogenans can use chlorinated aromatics including polychlorinated biphenyls as electron acceptors in a process called dehalorespiration. Expression of the cpr gene cluster involved in this process is regulated by CprK, which is a member of the CRP/FNR (cAMP-binding protein/fumarate nitrate reduction regulatory protein) family of helix-turn-helix transcriptional regulators. High affinity interaction of the chlorinated aromatic compound with the effector domain of CprK triggers binding of CprK to an upstream target DNA sequence, which leads to transcriptional activation of the cpr gene cluster. When incubated with oxygen or diamide, CprK undergoes inactivation; subsequent treatment with dithiothreitol restores activity. Using mass spectrometry, this study identifies two classes of redox-active thiol groups that form disulfide bonds upon oxidation. Under oxidative conditions, Cys105, which is conserved in FNR and most other CprK homologs, forms an intramolecular disulfide bond with Cys111, whereas an intermolecular disulfide bond is formed between Cys11 and Cys200. SDS-PAGE and site-directed mutagenesis experiments indicate that the Cys11/Cys200 disulfide bond links two CprK subunits in an inactive dimer. Isothermal calorimetry and intrinsic fluorescence quenching studies show that oxidation does not change the affinity of CprK for the effector. Therefore, reversible redox inactivation is manifested at the level of DNA binding. Our studies reveal a strategy for limiting expression of a redox-sensitive pathway by using a thiol-based redox switch in the transcription factor.
Long‐term outcomes following drug‐eluting stents versus bare metal stents for primary percutaneous coronary intervention: A real‐world analysis of 11,181 patients from the british columbia cardiac registry

Drug eluting stents (DES) are associated with reduced risk of restenosis when compared with bare metal stents (BMS). Their use in ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is debated, owing to concerns about stent thrombosis. There are limited real‐world data comparing DES versus BMS in STEMI. We conducted an observational analysis in this setting and rigorously adjusted for treatment selection bias.
Poverty and Inequality Reduction in Brazil - A Parenthesis in History or the Road Ahead?

Between 1992 and 2013, and especially since 2003, Brazil experienced an unprecedented reduction in poverty and income inequality, a process common to several Latin American countries. The objective of this study is to identify the drivers of the social changes that we observed along this period in Brazil, in comparison with other Latin American countries, and to discuss the prospects for the near future. Aspects such as the demographic transition, the reduction in earnings inequality, the country’s sustained economic growth and a set of employment and social policies are relevant to understand the process of reduction in overall poverty and inequality over the last two decades in Brazil. Although demographic changes should continue to play an important role towards poverty reduction in the future, the recent economic downturn puts a question mark over future prospects, at least in the short term. Job creation has already been overtaken by increasing unemployment rates, tax revenues are falling and the resulting fiscal crisis will limit any increase in expenditures with social policies. In the short-term, the country will face the challenge of staying its course regarding the reduction of poverty and inequality in light of a much more adverse economic scenario.
The Influence of Employee Share Ownership Schemes on Firm Performance: the Case of Zimbabwean Firms

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of employee share ownership schemes on firm performance in the case of Zimbabwean companies. The study sought to provide valuable insights on the influence of this initiative on employee productivity and organisational performance in Zimbabwe. A cross sectional design was employed to collect data from Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry listed companies using simple random sampling. The study revealed that financial benefits from EOSs, employee participation, ECOS communication and percentage of shareholding have a significant positive relationship with firm performance. The study has important implications for the implementation and management of ESOs in the context of a development country such as Zimbabwe.
Beyond clusters: the implications of life science commodity chains for less-favoured regions

British regional policy has emphasised 'locally-bounded' innovation processes dependent upon regional knowledge bases, downplaying the role of global inter-linkages and inter-dependencies. Consequently, regional policy tends to stress the importance of endogenous capacity through the promotion of regional specialisation and competitiveness by constituting the region as the site of innovation drawing on the social, institutional and knowledge assets that are spatially embedded in particular places. These regions are seen as simultaneously competing in the global economy, although the focus on the concentration of innovation processes obscures the distribution of knowledge across regions and countries in the globalising, knowledge economy. This research project is designed to address these issues by using global commodity chain and global production network approaches to explore the life sciences industry in a less-favoured region (Scotland) where the policy emphasis on local capabilities and capacities raises a number of concerns. In particular, it will consider how innovation processes and knowledge operate across different locations and especially how they are both concentrated and dispersed throughout the commodity chain. Thus it will question why certain places are less 'successful' at attracting and embedding such processes than others, especially less-favoured regions suffering from the effects of industrial restructuring and uneven development.
Genetic separation of high- and low-affinity transport systems for branched-chain amino acids in Escherichia coli K-12

The Escherichia coli K-12 mutant strain AE4107 (livH::Mu) is defective in the high-affinity binding protein-mediated uptake system for L-leucine, L-valine, and L-isoleucine (LIV-I). We have used this strain to produce mutations in the residual LIV-II membrane-bound branched-chain amino acid uptake system. Mutants selected for their inability to utilize exogenous L-leucine were found to be defective in the LIV-II system and fell into two classes. One class, represented by strain AE410709 (livP9), showed a complete loss of saturable uptake for L-leucine, L-valine, and L-isoleucine up to 50 muM, and a second class, represented by strain AE4017012 (liv-12), showed a residual component of saturable leucine uptake with increased Km. These mutations, livP9 and liv-12, were closely linked and mapped in the 74 to 78 min region of the E. coli genetic map. Strains constructed so that they lacked both LIV-I and LIV-II transport systems excreted leucine. Strains of the genotype livH+ livP were found to have normal high-affinity binding protein-mediated transport (LIV-I and leucine specific), whereas the low-affinity (LIV-II) transport was completely missing. We concluded from these studies that the high-affinity binding protein-mediated transport systems (LIV-I and leucine specific) can operate independently of the membrane-bound LIV-II system.
Problem-Oriented Policing: Reflections on the First 20 Years

I n the last three decades, several concepts have been advanced to structure efforts to improve policing. Among them have been team policing, neighborhood policing, community policing, problem-oriented policing, and, most recently, quality-of-life policing. With much overlap, each concept, as reflected in its name, emphasizes a different need, relegating other commonly advocated reforms to a secondary role, shaped to support that need. This volume traces the efforts to implement problem-oriented policing. The emphasis in problem-oriented policing is on directing attention to the broad range of problems the community expects the police to handle–the problems that constitute the business of the police–and on how police can be more effective in dealing with them. A layperson may think this focus elementary on first being introduced to it. Indeed, laypeople probably assume that police continually focus on the problems they are expected to handle. But within policing, this focus constitutes a radical shift in perspective. Problem-oriented policing recognizes, at the outset, that police are expected to deal with an incredibly broad range of diverse community problems–not simply crime. It recognizes that the ultimate goal of the police is not simply to enforce the law, but to deal with problems effectively–ideally, by preventing them from occurring in the first place. It therefore plunges the police into an in-depth study of the specific problems they confront. It invites consideration of a wide range of alternatives, in addition to criminal law, for responding to each specific problem. Thus, problem-oriented policing draws the police away from the traditional preoccupation with creating an efficient organization; from the heavy investment in standard, generic operating procedures for responding to calls and preventing crime; and from heavy dependence on criminal law as the primary means for getting their job done. It looks to increased knowledge and thinking about the specific problems police confront as the driving force in fashioning police services. The introduction of a new concept to policing is not a neat process, especially in the United States, where approximately 17,000 police agencies operate with a high degree of independence and a record of strong resistance to change. One would be naïve to expect dramatic results in a short time. Indeed, when related to the total field of policing, progress toward achieving the shift in emphasis called for in problem-oriented policing has, over the past two decades, been negligible–a project here, a cluster of problem-solving efforts there. While "problem-oriented policing" …
Assessing the Factors Influencing Service Innovation Capabilities and Performance

Innovation has been recognized as a central source of business growth and a key determinant of competitive advantage for many organizations. This paper seeks to address two main objectives. The first objective is to examine the direct effect of organizational structure (i.e. centralization and formalization), transformational leadership, organizational learning and customer orientation on innovation capabilities. The second objective is to examine the effect of innovation capability and organizational performance. Findings show that customer orientation, organizational learning, and transformation leadership had significant positive effects on innovation capability. The results further show that innovation capability had a significant impact on organizational performance.
"Does being in here mean there is something wrong with me"?

Much of what has been written about how psychiatric hospitals change a patient's self-image has been written from the perspective of the hospital and related social forces. Little has been done to explain the patient's perspective and role in this process. This study examines the process from that essential perspective, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results suggest that both frequency and duration of exposure to psychiatric hospitals, as well as a past history of hallucinations, are important variables in determining engulfment in the patient role. The process of engulfment appears to be a developmental sequence with important transitional events (e.g., hallucinations, Supplemental Security Income, repeated hospitalizations) demarcating and pushing forward the process, and shifting beliefs and definitions associated with each developmental stage. What seems to underlie this process is patients' need to maintain a positive view of themselves as competent.
Body Mass Index, Diabetes, and Mortality in French Women: Explaining Away a “Paradox”

Background: Obesity is associated with increased mortality in the general population but, paradoxically, with decreased mortality in persons with diabetes. Methods: Among 88,373 French women participating in the E3N-EPIC study who were free of diabetes in 1990, we estimated the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of mortality for body mass index (BMI) levels by diabetes status. Results: During an average 16.7 years of follow-up, 2421 cases of diabetes were identified and 3750 deaths occurred. For overweight/obese versus normal-weight women, the HR of mortality was 1.42 (95% CI = 1.32–1.53) in women without diabetes and 0.69 (0.40–1.18) in women with incident diabetes. As BMI increased, mortality among women without diabetes increased and that among women with diabetes decreased. Conclusions: We found the obesity “paradox” among women with and without incident diabetes in the same population. Selection bias may be a simple explanation for this “paradox. ”
Multimarker approach to risk stratification for long-term mortality in patients on chronic hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND We prospectively investigated the prognostic value of the combined use of cardiac troponin T (TnT), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) for long-term mortality in hemodialysis (HD) patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Baseline measurements of TnT, BNP, and CRP were performed in 516 patients on chronic HD. Patients were followed up for 10 years. Using the Cox multivariate model with these 3 biomarkers as variables categorized into tertiles for mortality, a simplified score was obtained by underscoring individual biomarkers based on the adjusted hazard ratio (HR). The multimarker score was defined as the sum of these points. TnT, BNP, and CRP levels were individually independent predictors for mortality (P<0.05). Among low-risk (multimarker score <4), intermediate-risk (multimarker score 4-7), and high-risk (multimarker score ≥7) groups, 10-year survival rates were 83.3%, 54.3%, and 27.2% (P<0.0001), respectively. After adjusting for other confounders, the multimarker score had strong predictive power for mortality (HR: 4.26; P<0.0001 for high-risk vs. low-risk group). Furthermore, adding the multimarker score to a baseline model with established risk factors improved the C-index (P<0.01), net reclassification improvement (P<0.0001), and integrated discrimination improvement (P<0.0001) greater than that of any single biomarker or baseline model alone. CONCLUSIONS The multimarker approach (ie, simultaneous assessment of TnT, BNP, and CRP, which individually independently predict prognosis) may improve the prediction of long-term mortality in HD patients.
Acquisition of Self-Control of a Novel Muscular Activity with EMG and Video Feedback

To examine the acquisition of voluntary control of a novel muscular activity from the initial stage to the self-control stage, the m. auricularis posterior, which had generally degenerated and had nearly lost its function of drawing an auricle backward in the human body, was selected as a target muscle to be studied. One female undergraduate student who could not move her auricles intentionally was required to activate her left m. auricularis posterior and underwent rest, pretest, training, and posttest sessions once a day for five days. At the subject's request, the electromyograph (EMG) from her left m. auricularis posterior on an oscillograph was provided for her as the feedback signal on each training trial. The picture of her left ear on television was handled in the same way. The EMG measures indicated that the subject could learn to activate her left m. auricularis posterior differentially. The number of training trials on which the subject requested the feedback signals suggested that EMG feedback signal was more useful to her than the video and that the usefulness of the feedback signals varied as the training sessions advanced. It was also concluded from analysis of the self-report data that the acquisition process of self-control of a novel muscular activity could be divided into at least four stages.
Social‐Optimal Household Food Waste: Taxes and Government Incentives

&NA; In 2010, 21% of the total food available for consumption in the United States was wasted at the household level. In response to this waste, a number of counties and U.S. localities have instituted policies (disposal taxes) directed toward reducing this waste. However, currently there is no federal food‐waste disposal tax. The aim of this paper is to establish a theoretical foundation for household food waste, and based on this theory, to determine the social‐optimal food‐waste (disposal) tax, along with a government incentive. The theory unravels the interrelation between social food insecurity and external environmental costs, which is not generally considered by households when they waste food. A social‐optimal disposal tax and government incentive involve Pigovian mechanisms and governmental expenditures. For a zero level of food waste, the social‐optimal disposable tax and government incentive approach infinity.
Determination of ethanol concentration of ethanol/water mixture solutions with open ended coaxial method

This study presents a simple and non-destructive procedure to determine ethanol concentration of ethanol/water solution at ambient temperature based on HP85070B open ended coaxial dielectric constant measurement. The motivation for this study stems from the fact that the ‘true’ concentration of ethanol in a ‘labeled’ container could be ‘spoiled’ due to hygroscopic nature of ethanol, evaporation and other factors. The dielectric constant measurements of eight samples with different molar fraction were validated with modified Cole-Cole-Debye (3CC) simulations. A 5th degree polynomial calibration equation was developed based on 3CC simulations with R2 = 0.9998 and used to estimate the ‘true’ concentration of three ethanol samples obtained from ‘labeled’ containers kept in laboratory. The ethanol concentrations of two of the samples were found to be much lower than what was indicated on their labels, hence, assumed spoiled.
Radiation brain moms and citizen scientists: the gender politics of food contamination after Fukushima

Following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster in 2011 many concerned citizens—particularly mothers—were unconvinced by the Japanese government’s assurances that the country’s food supply was safe. They took matters into their own hands, collecting their own scientific data that revealed radiation-contaminated food. In Radiation Brain Moms and Citizen Scientists Aya Hirata Kimura shows how, instead of being praised for their concern about their communities’ health and safety, they faced stiff social sanctions, which dismissed their results by attributing them to the work of irrational and rumor-spreading women who lacked scientific knowledge. These citizen scientists were unsuccessful at gaining political traction, as they were constrained by neoliberal and traditional gender ideologies that dictated how private citizens—especially women—should act. By highlighting the challenges these citizen scientists faced, Kimura provides insights into the complicated relationship between science, foodways, gender, and politics in post-Fukushima Japan and beyond.