Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biochemical Characterization of the Campylobacter jejuni Cj1294, a Novel UDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-GlcNAc Aminotransferase That Generates UDP-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-GalNAc*

Campylobacter jejuni produces multiple glycoproteins whose glycans contain 4-amino 6-deoxy sugars or their derivatives, such as diacetamidobacillosamine or pseudaminic acid. Because the proteoglycans contribute to bacterial virulence and their constitutive sugars are not commonly found in humans, inhibitors developed against the enzymes that are responsible for their biosynthesis could be novel therapeutic targets to fight this important food-borne pathogen. The biosynthesis of diacetamidobacillosamine is anticipated to involve a sugar nucleotide C6 dehydratase, a C4 aminotransferase and an acetyltransferase. We have identified a set of genes (cj1293, cj1294, and cj1298) potentially encoding one of each enzymatic activity, and demonstrated earlier that Cj1293 was a UDP-GlcNAc-specific C6 dehydratase. Others have shown that Cj1293 was involved in protein glycosylation. Here, we report on our investigation of the potential activity of Cj1294 as a sugar nucleotide C4 aminotransferase. Our biochemical characterization of overexpressed and purified protein shows that Cj1294 is a pyridoxal phosphate-dependent aminotransferase specific for UDP-4-keto-6-deoxy-GlcNAc that uses preferentially glutamic acid as an amino donor. A detailed physicokinetic study of Cj1294 was performed to determine the Km of 1.28 ± 0.2 mm and kcat of 11.5 ± 1.3 min-1. Also, two residues essential for protein stability and activity, Arg228 and Lys181, respectively, were identified by site-directed mutagenesis. Finally, we demonstrated by NMR analysis of purified reaction product that Cj1294 produces UDP-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-GalNAc. These results indicate that Cj1294 is involved in the biosynthesis of diacetamidofucosamine, a C4 epimer of diacetamidobacillosamine not yet described in C. jejuni proteoglycans, suggesting that the composition of C. jejuni proteoglycans is more variable than anticipated.
Output regulation for robustly minimum-phase multivariable nonlinear systems

The problem of output regulation for MIMO systems is addressed. Taking full advantage of all controls and all available measurements, by appealing to a general notion of “robust” minimum-phase, a design procedure is proposed. The results are complemented with the design, under appropriate assumption, of an adaptive (nonlinear) internal model so as to handle parametric uncertainties in the exosystem.
Rasch Analysis of the Postconcussive Symptom Questionnaire: Measuring the Core Construct of Brain Injury Symptomatology

The Postconcussive Symptom Questionnaire (PCSQ; Lees-Haley, 1992) is purported to measure four constructs. These include psychological, cognitive, somatic, and infrequency (i.e., items intended to reflect negative impression management) symptoms. The utility and validity of Postconcussive Syndrome (PCS) as a diagnostic condition continues to be debated. To this end, examining the instruments used to measure postconcussive symptoms can increase our understanding with respect to this issue. The aim of this study was to derive a revised PCSQ to target the core construct of subjective symptoms reported by persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI). A total of 133 people with mild to severe TBI completed the 45-item PCSQ. Items were scored dichotomously, as symptom present or absent. Rasch analysis, based on the mathematical model formulated by Rasch (1960), was used to derive the revised PCSQ. Misfitting and redundant items were removed and a second model containing 19 items was fitted. The revised PCSQ-19 had superior psychometric qualities; reliability was 0.81. The PCSQ-19 provides a more targeted, unidimensional assessment of subjective symptoms following brain injury. The findings also revealed information related to symptom hierarchy which can further our understanding of PCS.
Implementation and outcomes of group medical appointments in an outpatient specialty care clinic

Purpose: To describe the outcomes of a nurse practitioner (NP)‐facilitated group medical appointment (GMA) intervention for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) clients in a pulmonary practice in the Midwest. Data sources: Medical records from a convenience sample of six established pulmonary patients in a Midwest specialty clinic who received care in a group format were retrospectively audited. Outcome measures included examination of changes in the utilization of healthcare services, exercise tolerance, and use of nonpharmacological and pharmacological interventions pre‐ and postparticipation in the GMA program. Conclusions: NP‐facilitated GMAs are feasible and can help improve health outcomes. Results showed a significant increase in exercise tolerance measured by 6‐min walk distance. Anecdotally, patient and provider response to the GMA was very positive. Implications for practice: The GMA format is an innovative solution for the management of chronic disease patients that is comprehensive, time efficient, reimbursable, and well suited to NP practice. GMAs can be implemented in most practice settings.
Rules of origin and uncertain compliance cost

Abstract This study considers the role of the cost uncertainty associated with meeting the rules of origin (ROO) in a free trade area/agreement (FTA). While the literature tends to overlook the cost uncertainties of ROO compliers, we show that the uncertain production costs resulting from meeting the ROO yield the coexistence of compliers and non-compliers in symmetric oligopoly firms. We also show that the regime in which compliers and non-compliers coexist is not the best one for an FTA importer, while it may be the best one for world welfare. We also discuss the case that uncertain production costs are firm-specific.
Activity of Host Antimicrobials against Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Acquiring Colistin Resistance through Loss of Lipopolysaccharide

ABSTRACT Acinetobacter baumannii can acquire resistance to the cationic peptide antibiotic colistin through complete loss of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) expression. The activities of the host cationic antimicrobials LL-37 and human lysozyme against multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of A. baumannii that acquired colistin resistance through lipopolysaccharide loss were characterized. We demonstrate that LL-37 has activity against strains lacking lipopolysaccharide that is similar to that of their colistin-sensitive parent strains, whereas human lysozyme has increased activity against colistin-resistant strains lacking LPS.
Proposal of Electrical Edge Joint for a Demountable High-Temperature Superconducting Magnet

Electrical edge joint of a stacked high-temperature superconducting (HTS) conductor is explored for electrical joints for a demountable HTS toroidal field coil. Demountable coils would be very useful in small tokamak plasma-facing component-test machines, such as Vulcan. The demountable concept explored in this paper consists of forcing together the edges of stacked HTS conductor embedded in a conductive or a structural material. We carried out a testing program of the edge joint of a stacked YBCO conductor within a copper jacket. The HTS cable has a critical current of 1600 A at 77 K in self-field. The experimental results showed that joint resistance in the edge joint was higher than expected, as was not reproducible. One potential reason for the larger than expected resistance is the damage to the tape edge in preparation of the joint region due to milling/fabrication. Another potential reason was low accuracy in the fabrication of joint surface; the joint surfaces were not parallel to one another. The joint resistance will be reduced by the sophistication of the fabrication process for the joint surface. We also carried out calculations to determine the joint performance of the edge joint in an ideal condition. In the ideal condition, inserting an indium film between joint surfaces or plating copper layer on joint surfaces can prevent joint resistance from increasing due to the misalignment of the contact surfaces and would provide a compliant layer between joints. The joint resistance of the edge joint can become smaller than that of an electrical lap joint when the number of the stacked HTS tape is large.
Implications of circulating chromogranin A in prostate cancer

Objective. To evaluate whether measurement of circulating chromogranin A (CgA) levels provides clinicopathological and prognostic information in prostate cancer. Material and methods. Plasma CgA levels were measured in 57 patients with histologically confirmed prostate cancer (stage B or less, n=22; stage C, n=10; stage D1, n=2; hormone-naive D2, n=12; hormone-refractory D2, n=11) and in 22 with undetected prostate cancer using an enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay. Results. Median plasma CgA levels were significantly higher in patients with prostate cancer than in those with undetected cancer (p=0.0271). Higher stage (p<0.0001) and higher grade (p=0.0412) tumours were also significantly associated with higher plasma CgA levels. Above-normal CgA levels were also detected in 4/27 patients (15%) who underwent radical prostatectomy. Postoperative clinical failure was not reported in the prostatectomy patients; however, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) failure was reported in 44% of patients after a median follow-up period of 20.3 months. Multivariate analysis revealed that the pathological stage of the tumour was the only independent predictive variable for postoperative PSA failure (p=0.0494). Preoperative plasma CgA levels had no impact on postoperative PSA failure in the subgroup (prostatectomy patients). Elevated plasma CgA levels were associated with a poor survival prognosis in patients with stage D2 prostate cancer after a median follow-up period of 22.5 months (p=0.0416). Conclusions. It was demonstrated in this study that plasma CgA levels in prostate cancer increase with the severity of the disease, especially for progressive hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), after hormone therapy. Although this cross-sectional study involved only a small number of patients, we believe that plasma CgA levels may effectively predict HRPC status and prognosis in metastatic cases.
Phylogenetic relationships of world populations of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) using ribosomal ITS1.

A phylogeny of Bemisia tabaci is presented based on the ITS1 region of ribosomal DNA. The monophyly of each biotype of Bemisia is supported, and a strong biogeographic pattern is evident in the data. Populations from the Americas (including the A biotype) form a clade sister to a clade comprising the silverleafing or B biotype and a nonsilverleafing biotype from the North Africa/Mediterranean region. Polymorphisms in rDNA suggest that silverleafing is a recent phenomenon, while the nonsilverleafing form is the ancestral or plesiomorphic state. Based on this phylogeny, if B. argentifolii is accepted as a separate species then one would have to review the taxonomic status of all biotypes of B. tabaci. In particular, a new name clearly would be needed for an Egypt/Spain/Sudan/Nigeria clade, and the monophyly of the haplotypes remaining in B. tabaci would be open to serious doubt. To make new species assignments in these circumstances seems premature. The phylogenetic relationships of the different populations of B. tabaci and the origins of effective natural enemies of the B biotype suggest that knowing the origin of the B biotype is not essential to finding effective agents and supports the notion that crop management is the key aspect to control.
Serial fiberoptic bronchoscopic observations of endobronchial tuberculosis before and early after antituberculosis chemotherapy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To evaluate the antituberculous treatment responsiveness of endobronchial tuberculosis in the different stages of evolution. DESIGN A prospective study before and after trial with 9 months of antituberculosis chemotherapy without steroid. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION One hundred thirty-six endobronchial lesions in 62 patients were subdivided into four types according to initial fiberoptic bronchoscopic (FOB) findings. Follow-up FOB was performed in 29 patients with 56 endobronchial lesions to detect the changes in the initial endobronchial lesion and bronchostenosis within 3 months after completion of 9 months of chemotherapy. RESULTS The endobronchial lesions could be classified into four types: exudative (59 lesions, 43.3 percent), ulcerative (13 lesions, 9.7 percent), cicatricial (36 lesions, 26.5 percent), and bronchoglandular (28 lesions, 20.5 percent). In the reassessment of 56 lesions, all 19 exudative and all 9 ulcerative lesions showed complete improvement. Of the cicatricial lesions, most (10 of 12 lesions) showed no change in bronchostenosis, whereas 2 lesions showed improvement. In the bronchoglandular lesions, 6 of 18 lesions showed progressed bronchostenosis. Overall, we observed improved responses in 53.6 percent, progressed bronchostenosis in 10.7 percent, and stationary responses in the remaining 35.7 percent. The progressed lesions were found only in the bronchoglandular lesions. CONCLUSION In the exudative, ulcerative, and cicatricial lesions, the administration of antituberculous chemotherapy alone resulted in favorable responses in the early posttreatment period.
Modal analysis for a bounded-wave EMP Simulator - part I: effect of test object

We have analyzed the electromagnetic-mode structure inside a bounded-wave electromagnetic pulse (EMP) simulator. This has been done by the application of the singular value decomposition method to time-domain data generated by self-consistent, three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations. This combination of two powerful techniques yields a wealth of information about the internal mode structure which cannot be otherwise obtained. To our knowledge, this is the first time such a comprehensive study has been done. In the absence of a test object, the transverse electromagnetic (TEM) mode is dominant throughout the simulator length. TM/sub 1/ dominates over other transverse electromagnetic (TM) modes over most of the length. Close to the termination, the TEM mode weakens marginally, while higher order TM modes become stronger. The enhancement of TM/sub 2/, and the weakening of TEM near the termination, have been explained in physical terms. Placement of a perfectly conducting test object in the parallel-plate section increases the strength of higher order TM modes, at the cost of TEM. Hence, the object is subjected to electromagnetic fields that deviate significantly from the desired TEM form. A physical interpretation has been provided for this phenomenon. The enhancement of electromagnetic fields near the top and bottom faces of the object are explained in terms of the Poynting flux distribution.
Health Care Technology Adoption and Diffusion in a Social Context

This article highlights mechanisms that may further sustainable technological development for the 21st century. The distributional effects associated with the adoption and diffusion of health care technologies are addressed wherein the capacity to capitalize on the health gains from the adoption of technology varies in society. These effects are caused by the actions of individuals as they segment themselves into distinct social groups. The circumstances under which social institutions are further segmented are explored and may motivate public sector limits on the funding for and diffusion of health care technologies. Safety and efficacy benchmarks are necessary but insufficient conditions for sustainability as product advantage on grounds of cost-effectiveness must also be demonstrated. Furthermore, given the substantial role played by public sector decision makers in purchasing health care technologies, the distributional consequences associated with the uptake and diffusion of technology need to be gauged by product designers and those responsible for marketing.
High cell density cultivation of Pseudomonas oleovorans: Growth and production of poly (3‐hydroxyalkanoates) in two‐liquid phase batch and fed‐batch systems

Pseudomonas oleovorans is able to accumulate poly(3‐hydroxyalkanoates) (PHAs) under conditions of excess n‐alkanes, which serve as sole energy and carbon source, and limitation of an essential nutrient such as ammonium. In this study we aimed at an efficient production of these PHAs by growing P. oleovorans to high cell densities in fed‐batch cultures.
Human tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes: a marker of host response.

There is continuing interest in the possibility of immunologic intervention in the therapy of malignant disease. By employing a range of different techniques, it has been possible to show the presence of activated helper, suppressor, and cytotoxic T cells, B cells, NK precursors, and macrophages at the tumor site. The overwhelming impression from our data is that tumors may be subject to immunologic attack by heterogeneous effectors and that there is selective trapping of these effectors with corresponding depletion at the periphery. Like all inflammatory sites, however, the tumor contains both positive and negative regulatory mechanisms with the coexistence of cells with effector and suppressor functions, eg, T suppressors that modulate the proliferative response of T helpers and macrophages suppressing NK function contribute to the dynamic interplay in situ. Additional complexity is indicated by immunohistologic studies that clearly show that the stroma rather than foci of tumor cells are the site of infiltration, thereby further limiting effector function. We are now at the end of the descriptive stage of our investigations and further studies must approach the more difficult problem of modifying the host response in such a way as to alter the balance between effector and suppressor activity. A promising area of research would appear to be the use of cloned helper T cells or their products in the immunotherapy of cancer. The demonstration, by us, of selective trapping at tumor sites suggests that administration of the patients' own T cells with antitumor reactivity may serve as an efficient delivery vehicle to activate host effectors in situ. Studies in animal systems have shown the feasibility of this approach, although the failure of cultured T cells to undergo normal recirculation represents a considerable unresolved problem. Effector function by each of the tumor-infiltrating cell types described is under T cell control, and preliminary studies have already indicated the ability of helper T cells to accelerate allograft and tumor rejection. The increasing availability of gene-cloned materials with potent biologic activity opens new areas of research in cancer therapy. The lymphokines IL-2 and interferon are already undergoing clinical trials. Studies by Hersey demonstrate that administration of conditioned medium containing impure IL-2 results in the appearance of antitumor effectors in previously nonreactive melanoma patients, and Rosenberg, among others, has shown IL-2 to be a potent enhancer of alloimmune responses. Lymphokine-activating macrophages also augment antitumour responses. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Akses Air Bersih di Indonesia

This study investigates household access on safe and clean water in Indonesia. The analysis is based on compilation data set of Statistic Indonesia and World Bank online publication namely INDO DAPOER ranging of 497 districts and municipalities for 2004-2011 periods.Our first analysis is the determinant of household access to clean and save water in district level. The second is combining access of clean and safe water with access on improve sanitation and ellectricty, to evaluate the impact on health indicator (morbidity rate) and district’s PDRB level. The third analysis is determining the impact of safe water,infrastructure, electricity and improved sanitation through morbidity rate and PDRB on the HDI. In general, this study find that better access on safe and clean water can improve community heath performance and district’s HDI. Better access on safe water should be followed by better access on sanitation, as these accesses are interlinked. Regarding intergovernmental transfer, an increase in DAU and DAK sectoral transfer are found improving health performance, increasing PDRB, HDI scor, and reducing poverty rate.
Quantitative evaluation of chronological ageing and photoageing in vivo: studies on skin echogenicity and thickness

Skin ageing is divided into chronological ageing and photoageing due to the cumulative effects of solar ultraviolet radiation. It is, however, difficult to measure the degree of photoageing and chronological ageing in humans in vivo. Here, we have evaluated the usefulness of ultrasonography for measurement of chronological ageing and photoageing in vivo. Twenty megahertz ultrasonography was performed in 90 individuals (29 men, 61 women, age 18–94) to describe age‐related changes in sun‐exposed regions with different levels of sun exposure (dorsal and ventral forearm, forehead, ankle) and non‐exposed buttock skin. Skin thickness and skin echogenicity in different layers of the dermis were measured in ultrasound images. Additionally, cutaneous photodamage was scored clinically. Age‐related changes were dependent on body site as well as layer of the dermis. A progressive, age‐related decrease in echogenicity of the upper dermis was found in sun‐exposed regions (dorsal forearm, forehead), but not in moderately exposed regions (ventral forearm, ankle). In the buttock an increase in echogenicity was observed. The echogenicity of the lower dermis increased in all examined sites. Skin thickness increased with age in the forehead and buttock, but decreased in the extremity skin. Our findings show that photoageing causes a decrease in echogenicity in the upper dermis. In contrast, chronological ageing is associated with an increase in echogenicity in the lower dermis. Although both increases and decreases in skin thickness were observed in different anatomical regions, there was no general relationship between skin thickness and age. Dermal echogenicity was deemed valuable for in vivo study of chronological ageing and photoageing.
Effects of job demands and social interactions on fatigue in short sea cargo shipping

ABSTRACT Although fatigue is considered an important problem in shipping, little is known about potential mitigating factors or resources for coping. Adopting a Job Demands–Resources framework, this article examines the effects of both job demands (stressors) and resources on fatigue, focusing on social interactions on board as a potential source of social support. Using an incomplete repeated-measures design, the study combined information from documents with surveys on seven cargo ships. Findings indicated that fatigue levels were highest for those working on deck and for individuals at higher hierarchical levels. Higher numbers of port calls (and to some extent lower numbers of days at sea) also increased fatigue levels. By contrast, night watches and the number of days in port had no effect on fatigue. Supportive social interactions reduced fatigue (main effect), but their effect was weaker when the number of port calls increased (interaction effect). All main effects were mediated by individuals’ perceptions of work pressure. Taken together, findings highlight the importance of considering social interactions on board to advance our understanding of stressors and strain in seafaring.