Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of MUC-1 epitopes on normal bone marrow: implications for the detection of micrometastatic tumor cells.

PURPOSE The expression of the carcinoma-associated mucin MUC-1 is thought to be restricted to epithelial cells and is used for micrometastatic tumor cell detection in patients with solid tumors, including those with breast cancer. Little is known, however, about the expression of MUC-1 epitopes in normal hematopoietic cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS MUC-1 expression was analyzed by flow cytometry and immunocytology on bone marrow (BM) mononuclear cells and purified CD34+ cells from healthy volunteers, using different anti-MUC-1-specific monoclonal antibodies. In addition, Western blotting of MUC-1 proteins was performed. RESULTS Surprisingly, 2% to 10% of normal human BM mononuclear cells expressed MUC-1, as defined by the anti-MUC-1 antibodies BM-2 (2E11), BM-7, 12H12, MAM-6, and HMFG-1. In contrast, two antibodies recognizing the BM-8 and the HMFG-2 epitopes of MUC-1 were not detected. MUC-1+ cells from normal BM consisted primarily of erythroblasts and normoblasts. In agreement with this, normal CD34+ cells cultured in vitro to differentiate into the erythroid lineage showed a strong MUC-1 expression on day 7 proerythroblasts. Western blotting of these cells confirmed that the reactive species is the known high molecular weight MUC-1 protein. CONCLUSION Our data demonstrate that some MUC-1 epitopes are expressed on normal BM cells and particularly on cells of the erythroid lineage. Hence the application of anti-MUC-1 antibodies for disseminated tumor cell detection in BM or peripheral blood progenitor cells may provide false-positive results, and only carefully evaluated anti-MUC-1 antibodies (eg, HMFG-2) might be selected. Furthermore, MUC-1-targeted immunotherapy in cancer patients might be hampered by the suppression of erythropoiesis.
The Escherichia coli dnaN159 Mutant Displays Altered DNA Polymerase Usage and Chronic SOS Induction

ABSTRACT The Escherichia coli β sliding clamp, which is encoded by the dnaN gene, is reported to interact with a variety of proteins involved in different aspects of DNA metabolism. Recent findings indicate that many of these partner proteins interact with a common surface on the β clamp, suggesting that competition between these partners for binding to the clamp might help to coordinate both the nature and order of the events that take place at a replication fork. The purpose of the experiments discussed in this report was to test a prediction of this model, namely, that a mutant β clamp protein impaired for interactions with the replicative DNA polymerase (polymerase III [Pol III]) would likewise have impaired interactions with other partner proteins and hence would display pleiotropic phenotypes. Results discussed herein indicate that the dnaN159-encoded mutant β clamp protein (β159) is impaired for interactions with the α catalytic subunit of Pol III. Moreover, the dnaN159 mutant strain displayed multiple replication and repair phenotypes, including sensitivity to UV light, an absolute dependence on the polymerase activity of Pol I for viability, enhanced Pol V-dependent mutagenesis, and altered induction of the global SOS response. Furthermore, epistasis analyses indicated that the UV sensitivity of the dnaN159 mutant was suppressed by (not epistatic with) inactivation of Pol IV (dinB gene product). Taken together, these findings suggest that in the dnaN159 mutant, DNA polymerase usage, and hence DNA replication, repair, and translesion synthesis, are altered. These findings are discussed in terms of a model to describe how the β clamp might help to coordinate protein traffic at the replication fork.
Anti-Tuberculosis Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity: A Review

Hepatotoxicity, a serious adverse drug reaction in tuberculosis (TB) patients receiving anti-TB drugs, is one of the most challenging clinical problems worldwide. Despite increasing awareness of clinicians and publi c, even now it remains an enormous problem and causes of hospitalization and life-threatening events. Consider ing the importance of anti-TB drug-induced hepatotoxicity ( DIH) as a major obstacle to achieve successful trea tment of TB, this review article deals with the current und erstanding of anti-TB-DIH, its incidence, mechanism of liver damage induced by different anti-TB drugs and vario us risk factors responsible for anti-TB-DIH, which might provide suitable information for future studies to develop safer treatment for TB. Further, this review articl e focuses on the role of oxidative stress in the path ogenesis of anti-TB-DIH. In addition, the possible involvement of genetic polymorphism of drug metabolizing enzymes with respect to anti-TB-DIH is also discussed in this
Intellectual Human Capital Dependence, Family-FriendlyFirms, and the Advancement of Women

In the past two decades demand for educated workers has increased wages for skilled labor and induced more educated women to join the work force. Yet women are still more likely than men to voluntarily reduce workforce participation to attend to family responsibilities. Replacing them can be difficult and costly. We find that firms that are highly dependent on intellectual human capital are more likely than others to appear on “Best Companies” lists and to have female top executives. Firms on these lists often offer a family-friendly culture and benefits, which help their skilled working parents balance their responsibilities.
Assessing Presidential Support in the House II: Lessons from George Bush

This paper uses parameter estimates of a regression model of congressional support of previous administrations to forecast individual members' support for Bush in 1989. The forecast errors reveal whether a member's actual level of support is higher or lower than should be expected given the effects of party, ideology, and public approval of the president. We find that Bush received less support from House members than predicted by the baseline model. The mean forecast error in 1989 was 1.77. Support from Republicans was considerably lower than expected. Liberal Democrats were slightly more supportive than predicted, and conservative Democrats averaged nearly 10 points higher than expected. Furthermore, friendship did not pay off in abnormally high support scores. The average forecast error for those members listed as the president's friends was negative, and the group with particularly close ties was the most undersupportive. And Bush's electoral strength in members' districts is not related to levels of overor undersupport.
ABCB1 genetic variants in leukemias: current insights into treatment outcomes

Despite improvements in treatment of different types of leukemia, not all patients respond optimally for a particular treatment. Some treatments will work better for some, while being harmful or ineffective for others. This is due to genetic variation in the form of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that affect gene expression or function and cause inherited interindividual differences in the metabolism and disposition of drugs. Drug transporters are one of the determinants governing the pharmacokinetic profile of chemotherapeutic drugs. The ABCB1 transporter gene transports a wide range of drugs, including drugs used in leukemia treatment. Polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene do affect intrinsic resistance and pharmacokinetics of several drugs used in leukemia treatment protocols and thereby affect the efficacy of treatment and event-free survival. This review focuses on the impact of three commonly occurring SNPs (1236C>T, 2677G>T/A, and 3435C>T) of ABCB1 on treatment response of various types of leukemia. From the literature available, some of the genotypes and haplotypes of these SNPs have been found to be potential determinants of interindividual variability in drug disposition and pharmacologic response in different types of leukemia. However, due to inconsistencies in the results observed across the studies, additional studies, considering novel genomic methodologies, comprehensive definition of clinical phenotypes, adequate sample size, and uniformity in all the confounding factors, are warranted.
LOCAL FACTORS INFLUENCING RESOURCE ALLOCATION TO HEALTH UNDER THE DECENTRALIZED PLANNING PROCESS IN KERALA, INDIA

INTRODUCTION P ublic sector decentralization has been a priority of many countries during the last two decades and has been accepted by the groups and regimes from opposite ends of the political spectrum (Collins and Green, 1994). In health, decentralization is about improving responsiveness and incentive structure by transferring ownership, responsibility and accountability to States, districts, local communities or individuals (WHO, 2000, Vaughan et al., 1984). It can assume different forms depending on the level, personnel, and the kind of power decentralized and can be administrative, fiscal or political. Its actual shape, however, depends on the government, political and administrative structures and objectives and Organization of the healthcare system (Mills et al., 1990). The significance of political decentralization is the transfer of planning and control of resources to the elected civil bodies. People are expected to be participants in, not simply the beneficiaries of, development programmes (Datta, 2000). Hence, it cannot be expected to be different from the centralized planning process unless there is an inherent mechanism for people’s participation. To be both effective and long lasting, people’s participation must not remain as a structure imposed from outside (Zakus and Lysac, 1998). It must be rooted in their expectations and supported by needed and usable information, material resources and significant stakeholder commitment. The real challenge is to achieve the optimum people’s participation, which is determined by the complex political and social milieu, tradition and culture (Tailor and Reinke, 1997). Kerala’s political decentralization in 1996 followed the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of India, 1992, which
Refractive errors, axial ocular dimensions, and age-related cataracts: the Tanjong Pagar survey.

PURPOSE To describe the relationship of refractive errors and axial ocular dimensions and age-related cataract. METHODS Population-based, cross-sectional survey of ocular diseases among Chinese men and women aged 40 to 81 years (n = 1232) living in the Tanjong Pagar district in Singapore. As part of the examination, refraction and corneal curvature were determined with an autorefractor, with refraction further refined subjectively. Ocular dimensions, including axial length, anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, and vitreous chamber depth, were measured with an A-mode ultrasound device. Lens opacity was graded clinically according to the Lens Opacity Classification System (LOCS) III system. Refraction, biometry, and cataract data on right (n = 989) and left (n = 995) eyes were analyzed separately. RESULTS In analyses controlling for age, gender, education, diabetes, and cigarette smoking, nuclear cataract was associated with myopia (-1.35 D vs. -0.11 D, P < 0.001, comparing right eyes with and without nuclear cataract), but not with any specific biometric component. Cortical cataract was associated with thinner lenses (4.67 mm vs. 4.79 mm, P = 0.001, comparing right eyes with and without cortical cataract), but not with refraction and other biometric components. Posterior subcapsular cataract was associated with myopia (-1.80 D vs. -0.39 D, P < 0.001, comparing right eyes with and without posterior subcapsular cataract), deeper anterior chamber (3.00 mm vs. 2.89 mm, P = 0.02), thinner lens (4.62 mm vs. 4.77 mm, P = 0.001), and longer vitreous chamber (15.78 mm vs. 15.57 mm, P = 0.09), but not with overall axial length and corneal curvature. Adjustment for vitreous chamber depth attenuated the association between posterior subcapsular cataract and myopia by 65.5%, but did not substantially change the association between nuclear cataract and myopia. CONCLUSIONS These population-based data support the associations between nuclear and posterior subcapsular cataracts and myopia reported in previous studies. Posterior subcapsular cataract is also associated with deeper anterior chamber, thinner lens, and longer vitreous chamber, with vitreous chamber depth explaining most of the association between posterior subcapsular cataract and myopia.
INFORMED LEARNING IN THE UNDERGRADUATE CLASSROOM: THE ROLE OF INFORMATION EXPERIENCES IN SHAPING OUTCOMES

This research aimed to inform the design of effective information literacy lessons in higher education. Phenomenography, a research approach designed to study human experience, was used to explore the experiences of a teacher and undergraduate students using information to learn about language and gender issues. The findings show that the way learners use information influences content-focused learning outcomes, and reveal an instructional pattern for enabling students to use information while becoming aware of the topic they are investigating. Based on the findings, a design model is offered in which learning outcomes are realized through targeted information literacy activities.
Experimental Study on Evaporation Pan Isotopic Variations

Lake participates in water cycle through inflow and outflow of surface water and groundwater, precipitation and evaporation. Stable isotope technique is a very useful tool for studying variation of lake water. This paper briefly introduced the isotopic theory of lake, and studied the isotopic variation of atmospheric water vapor delta A through indoor and outdoor evaporation pan experiments. The experimental results showed that delta A values estimated from isotopic mass balance method were suitable to study the short-term isotopic variation of lake at time interval of six days; the slope of pan evaporation line of outdoor experiment was lower than that of indoor experiment due to kinetic fractionation factor of outdoor experiment being higher than that of indoor experiment.
Directional accuracy tests of Chinese renminbi forecasts

This study investigates the directional accuracy of Chinese renminbi exchange rate forecasts by professional forecasters. The forecast with a horizon of one year is useful, whereas the forecasts with forecast horizons of one and three months are not useful in predicting the direction of the exchange rate change. The results for the long-term forecasts suggest that forecasters believe that the government maintains its foreign exchange rate policy of renminbi appreciation. In contrast, short-term forecasts show consistent evidence of exchange rate unpredictability.
Cellular inflammatory responses in skin of sheep selected for resistance or susceptibility to fleece rot and fly strike

Leucocyte populations were examined in normal and inflamed skin of sheep bred for resistance (R) or susceptibility (S) to bacterial fleece rot and the common sequela, body strike caused by the dipteran parasite Lucilia cuprina. No differences between R and S lines were found in numbers of neutrophils accumulating in acute inflammatory lesions induced by activated complement, leukotriene B4, interleukin(IL)‐lβ, tumour necrosis factor‐α, IL‐8 orendotoxin from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. T19+ (a γδ T cell subset) lymphocytes and eosinophils were more prevalent in skin of sheep from the S line whereas IgE+ cells were more prevalent in skin of sheep from the R line. In an unrelated population of sheep, animals with low fleece rot scores had more intense neutrophil migration into inflammatory lesions induced by all the mediators examined than did animals with high fleece rot scores. IgE+ cells were more prevalent in animals with low fleece rot scores, although in contrast to R and S lines, T19+ cells tended to be elevated in this group of animals. The results suggest that defence mechanisms associated with IgE+ cells in skin may play an important role in resistance to fleece rot and fly strike.
Effect of liquid swine manure rate, incorporation, and timing of rainfall on phosphorus loss with surface runoff.

Excessive manure phosphorus (P) application increases risk of P loss from fields. This study assessed total runoff P (TPR), bioavailable P (BAP), and dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations and loads in surface runoff after liquid swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) manure application with or without incorporation into soil and different timing of rainfall. Four replicated manure P treatments were applied in 2002 and in 2003 to two Iowa soils testing low in P managed with corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] rotations. Total P applied each time was 0 to 80 kg P ha(-1) at one site and 0 to 108 kg P ha(-1) at the other. Simulated rainfall was applied within 24 h of P application or after 10 to 16 d and 5 to 6 mo. Nonincorporated manure P increased DRP, BAP, and TPR concentrations and loads linearly or exponentially for 24-h and 10- to 16-d runoff events. On average for the 24-h events, DRP, BAP, and TPR concentrations were 5.4, 4.7, and 2.2 times higher, respectively, for nonincorporated manure than for incorporated manure; P loads were 3.8, 7.7, and 3.6 times higher; and DRP and BAP concentrations were 54% of TPR for nonincorporated manure and 22 to 25% for incorporated manure. A 10- to 16-d rainfall delay resulted in DRP, BAP, and TPR concentrations that were 3.1, 2.7, and 1.1 times lower, respectively, than for 24-h events across all nonincorporated P rates, sites, and years, whereas runoff P loads were 3.8, 3.6, and 1.6 times lower, respectively. A 5- to 6-mo simulated rainfall delay reduced runoff P to levels similar to control plots. Incorporating swine manure when the probability of immediate rainfall is high reduces the risk of P loss in surface runoff; however, this benefit sharply decreases with time.
The geography of public-private school choice and race: a case study of Sumter, Clarendon, and Lee counties, South Carolina

This thesis analyzes the geography and history of public-private school choice, with particular concern to race, in a historically significant area where the first legal steps were taken to end segregation in public schools. The purpose is to identify how legacies of segregation have affected and continue to affect public-private school choice in area high schools today, examine which socioeconomic factors appear to most affect this choice, and determine the extent to which public schools in the study area reflect the racial demographic characteristics of their surrounding communities. To accomplish this, inquiry into the history of school segregation in the South, the emergence of private “segregation academies” during the era of integration, as well as contemporary trends in school choice are explored. Racial enrollment statistics from public and private schools are also compared to that of their attendance zones and surrounding areas. This research found that legacies of segregation likely continue to influence public-private school choice today, and that race and income also appear to be the socioeconomic factors that most affect whether families in the study area choose public or private school for their high school-aged children. It was also found that a significant disparity exists in the study area when comparing the racial demographic composition of private schools, public schools, and their surrounding communities.
Diazinon residues and degradation kinetics for grapes under field conditions

The dissipation of diazinon (O,O-diethyl O-2-isopropyl-6-methylpyrimidin-4-yl phosphorothioate) in grapes was investigated to determine its pre-harvest interval (PHI). Diazinon was applied to grapes at the recommended dosage (0.9 g a.i. L−1) and twice the recommended dosage (1.8 g a.i. L−1) three times, at the fruit formation stage, the sour stage, and the ripening stage, in a field trial with three replications. Samples were taken at 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 11, 15, 20, 26 and 32 days after spraying. The residue was extracted using a water/methanol/acetonitrile (1:1:1, v/v/v) solvent and solid phase extraction was employed for cleanup. Quantitative analysis was performed using a gas chromatograph equipped with a nitrogen-phosphorus detector. The dissipation trend for the recommended dosage and twice the recommend dosage followed the simple first-order kinetic model (SFOK) (DT50 = 3.29 days, DT90 = 11 days, PHI = 13.5 days) and first-order double-exponential decay (FODED) model (DT50 = 1.08 days, DT90 = 5.82 days, PHI = 15.29 days), respectively. The average initial deposit of diazinon at the recommended dosage was 9.04 mg kg−1and for twice the recommended dosage was 27.38 mg kg−1and it dissipated rapidly within days of spraying.
On the Stylized Facts of Nominal Exchange Rates in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru

Together with a set of not commonly reported ones, the most widely known stylized facts of high frequency Nominal Exchange Rates in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru with respect to the US Dollar are studied and interpreted to the light of recent literature in this paper. Among many other results, findings include (i) the tails of ordinary and absolute returns distributions follow inverse power laws, a family of widely occurring empirical regularities which seem to arise from Central Limit Theorem assumption violations and which may be interpreted through the “universality principle”; (ii) the smooth sinusoidal long-run trend and short-term noise dynamics of our nominal exchange rates are dominated by a ragged short to long-term non-symmetric cyclic component in Chile, Colombia and Brazil, while the opposite happens in the remaining two countries; and (iii) time domain component correlation between countries suggest the existence of common factors explaining these rates that may be related to carry trade and time-varying risk related to the appetite for risk of international investors.
ACTH‐induced cortisol production in multiple sclerosis

We measured the total daily urinary cortisol produced by each of 8 patients with multiple sclerosis during intravenous therapy with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Results indicated marked daily variation from patient to patient as well as in the same patient, suggesting that ACTH infusions do not result in reliable, consistent, high‐level production of cortisol. We attempted to express the quantity of cortisol produced as an equivalent amount of oral prednisone. This comparison is difficult to make; but, given certain assumptions, the figures suggest that 40 U or 80 U ACTH infusions do not elicit the quantities of steroid generally considered to be indicated for the therapy of major allergic, autoimmune, or neoplastic diseases.