Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ribonuclease Activity Associated With Ribosomes of Zea mays.

At pH 6.5, a ribonuclease(s) is associated with ribosomes isolated from corn (Zea mays L.) and cannot be removed by repeated differential centrifugation or by sedimenting through the sucrose gradient. The enzyme is active under conditions favoring the maintenance of integrity of the ribosomes. Little or no latent ribonuclease appears to be present. The activity of the enzyme at pH 5.8 is stimulated by KCl and inhibited by polyvinyl sulfate, zinc, and bentonite. Deoxyribonuclease is also found on the particles.The enzyme can be removed from ribosomes by adsorption onto bentonite. Ribosomes are also adsorbed but to a much lesser extent at low bentonite concentrations. The enzyme is easily dissociated from ribosomes by raising the pH to 8.5, and readsorbed when the pH is lowered.The ribonuclease activity on ribosomes shows a sharp increase with cell age that parallels closely the increase in total activity in the homogenate. The ratio of activities of deoxyribonuclease to ribonuclease on ribosomes also changes with cell age and again the changes appear to reflect changes in the homogenate. It is suggested that most of the association of ribonuclease with corn ribosomes may not be meaningful in vivo and occurs only after the cells are ruptured.
Beyond Awareness Requirements

We report the strategies and outcomes of requirements analysis in the SAMS project, which aims to detect early signs of dementia from records of user behaviour derived from monitoring home computer activity. Initial requirements elicitation specified a complex monitoring system in the genre of awareness requirements. As the complexity of the requirements for interpreting user activity became apparent, we revised our strategy towards an iterative refinement driven by analysis of recorded data. We propose that analysis of complex awareness requirements may necessitate a tool-driven approach where data mining software is configured to discover new requirements. Requirements for data mining and data analysis in SAMS are described. Application of the conceptual architecture for directing requirements analysis strategy in complex system with human in the loop for data analysis and adaptation is investigated. The implications for the extended view for RE are discussed with reference to systems with potentially unknown requirements. A research road map is outlined for the convergence of data mining and RE.
Determinants of HIV testing among young people aged 18 - 24 years in South Africa.

BACKGROUND Although recent estimates of the HIV/AIDS burden in South Africa show the particular vulnerability of youth to HIV, HIV testing and its determinants are largely understudied in this age group. OBJECTIVE To investigate the prevalence and determinants of HIV testing among young people aged 18 to 24 years, as part of an evaluation of the impact of loveLife. METHODS South Africa's national HIV prevention campaign for young people, on HIV and related risk behaviours. A cross-sectional population-based household survey was conducted using a multistage stratified cluster sampling approach. The total sample included 3123 participants, aged 18-24, 54.6% men and 45.4% women, from four provinces (Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga). RESULTS The results indicated that over half (52.2%) of the youth reported testing for HIV, with more young females (60.1%) testing for HIV compared to their male counterparts (39.9%). In the multivariate analysis, older age, being female, HIV knowledge, having ever talked to the mother or female guardian about HIV and having ever been pregnant or made someone pregnant were found to be associated with testing for HIV. CONCLUSION There is still room for improving the low proportion of young people who test for HIV. Specific attention needs to be paid to younger males, with lack of HIV knowledge, having never talked to the mother or female guardian about HIV and having never been pregnant or made someone pregnant were less likely to be tested. Outreach at individual and community levels and public health messages targeting these youth should be implemented.
Marked Suppression of T Cells by a Benzothiophene Derivative in Patients with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type I-Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis

ABSTRACT In a search for new anti-autoimmune agents that selectively suppress activation of autoreactive T cells, one such agent, 5-methyl-3-(1-methylethoxy)benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide (CI-959-A), was found to be effective. This compound, which is known to suppress tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced CD54 expression, inhibited the primary proliferative response of the T cell to antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs) including allogenic dendritic cells (DCs), autologous Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells, and human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected T cells. Autoreactive T cells from patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) spontaneously proliferate in vitro, and their activation is reported to be associated with CD54 expression. The spontaneous proliferation of T cells from patients with HAM/TSP was entirely blocked by CI-959-A. However, in this study, the T-cell proliferation in 15 patients with HAM/TSP was found to depend more extensively on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and CD86 than on CD54 Ags. Since most important APCs for the development of HAM/TSP are DCs and HTLV-I-infected T cells, the effect of CI-959-A on DC generation and on the expression of surface molecules on activated T cells is examined. CI-959-A suppressed recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)- and recombinant interleukin-4-dependent differentiation of DCs from monocytes and inhibited the expression of CD54 and, more extensively, MHC class II and CD86 Ags. CI-959-A showed little toxicity toward lymphoma or HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines or toward monocytes and cultured DCs. These results suggest that CI-959-A might be a potent anti-HAM/TSP agent.
Choroidal thickness in unilateral advanced glaucoma.

PURPOSE To investigate whether choroidal thickness measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT) in eyes with advanced glaucoma differs from that of fellow eyes with no or mild glaucoma. METHODS Thirty-six patients with advanced glaucoma in one eye and with no glaucoma or mild glaucoma in the fellow eye underwent macular scanning using enhanced depth imaging OCT. Average, subfoveal, nasal, and temporal choroidal thicknesses were compared between severely affected and fellow eyes after adjusting for axial length and intraocular pressure. RESULTS There were no significant differences between choroidal thickness measurements in eyes with advanced glaucoma and those in fellow eyes (P = 0.78 to 0.99). Based on average and subfoveal choroidal thicknesses, the choroid of eyes with advanced glaucoma was thicker than that of fellow eyes in 2.8% and 2.8% of the patients, whereas the choroid of fellow eyes was thicker than that of eyes with advanced glaucoma in 5.6% and 8.3% of the patients (P = 0.55 and 0.30, respectively). Neither eye had a consistently thinner or thicker choroid. Stepwise multiple regression analysis also showed no differences between choroidal thicknesses of severely affected eyes and those of fellow eyes (all P > 0.05). Factors associated with a thinner choroid were aging (28.6 μm per decade, P < 0.001) and increasing axial length (21.4 μm/mm, P < 0.001). Visual field mean deviation did not correlate with choroidal thickness measurements. CONCLUSIONS There was no significant change in choroidal thickness of eyes with advanced open-angle glaucoma compared to that of fellow eyes with no glaucoma or with mild glaucoma. A thinner choroid does not necessarily indicate the presence of glaucoma, nor is a thicker choroid necessarily a surrogate for the absence of glaucoma. These observations further suggest a lack of relationship between open-angle glaucoma and choroidal thickness.
Molecular Analysis of the Contribution of the Capsular Polysaccharide and the Lipopolysaccharide O Side Chain to the Virulence of Klebsiella pneumoniae in a Murine Model of Pneumonia

ABSTRACT Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common cause of gram-negative bacterial nosocomial pneumonia. Two surface polysaccharides, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O side chain and capsular polysaccharide (CPS), are critical for the microorganism in causing sepsis, but little is known about their role in pneumonia. To investigate their contribution in the pathogenesis of K. pneumoniae pneumonia, we characterized the host response to bacterial challenge with a highly virulent clinical isolate or with isogenic insertion-duplication mutants deficient in CPS or LPS O side chain in a murine model of pneumonia. Animals challenged intratracheally with the wild-type or LPS O side chain-deficient strain developed pneumonia and became bacteremic before death. Extensive lung lesions as well as pleuritis, vasculitis, and edema were observed by histopathological examination, and polymorphonuclear infiltration was also demonstrated. In contrast, none of the animals challenged with the unencapsulated strain developed pneumonia or bacteremia. Examination of tissue from this group did not identify lung lesions, and none of the infected animals died. Analysis of the early host defense mechanisms that contributed to the clearance of the unencapsulated mutant showed that the levels of C3 deposited on the unencapsulated mutant surface were threefold higher than those for the wild-type and LPS O side chain-deficient strains. Furthermore, phagocytosis of the unencapsulated mutant by human alveolar macrophages (AM) was more efficient than that of the wild-type and LPS O side chain-deficient strains. We conclude that CPS, but not LPS O side chain, is essential for Klebsiella pneumonia because it modulates the deposition of C3 and protects the microorganisms against human AM phagocytosis.
The New England family study high‐risk project: Neurological impairments among offspring of parents with schizophrenia and other psychoses

This manuscript presents the design and initial outcomes of the New England Family Study's (NEFS) High‐Risk Project, one of the few epidemiologically representative cohorts that has prospectively followed a large sample of offspring of parents with both affective and non‐affective psychotic disorders from the fetal period forward. The goals of this report are: (1) to describe in some detail the design, data collection methods, and resulting sample of this project; and (2) to prospectively identify and compare rates of childhood neurological impairments among offspring of psychotic and nonpsychotic parents, with a particular emphasis on offspring risk in relation to specific classes of parental psychosis (i.e., affective vs. non‐affective psychosis). The investigators identified a pool of 755 parents with potential psychotic disorders, located over 80% of these and confirmed psychotic diagnoses for 212 affected parents and 132 unaffected control parents. At birth, the 259 offspring of parents with psychosis had approximately a twofold increased risk of abnormal neurological functioning compared to offspring of families with no psychotic history. This was most pronounced among the 58 offspring of parents with schizophrenia. Similar trends were observed at ages 1 and 7 years although these did not reach statistical significance. Neither at birth nor at any of the follow‐up assessments were the 157 offspring of parents with affective psychosis found to be at elevated risk of neurological impairment. Implications for future research and potential preventive interventions for at‐risk individuals are discussed. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Apheresis education in pathology residency

Physicians from diverse training backgrounds practice apheresis medicine. Pathology residents' exposure to apheresis may vary depending on which department performs these procedures. Milestones for Apheresis education were published in 2012, but the degree of utilization in residency curriculum development is unknown. This study describes the current state of apheresis education for pathology residents.
Eco‐Innovation and Business Performance: The Moderating Effects of Environmental Orientation and Resource Commitment in Green‐Oriented SMEs

Drawing on the eco-innovation and resource-based view, this research attempts to contribute to the eco-innovation-performance debate by examining the effects of eco-innovation on business performance. In particular, we propose that the eco-innovation–performance relationship is contingent on environmental orientation and resources commitment. The analysis of 83 green-oriented SMEs in New Zealand suggests that eco-innovation has a positive effect on business performance. More interestingly, the findings show although environmental orientation does not directly influence business performance, it enhances the positive effect of eco-innovation on business performance. The results further suggest that green-oriented firms will reap more performance benefit of eco-innovation when they commit more organizational resources.
Comparing Sex Buyers With Men Who Do Not Buy Sex: New Data on Prostitution and Trafficking

We investigated attitudes and behaviors associated with prostitution and sexual aggression among 101 men who buy sex and 101 age-, education-, and ethnicity-matched men who did not buy sex. Both groups tended to accept rape myths, be aware of harms of prostitution and trafficking, express ambivalence about the nature of prostitution, and believe that jail time and public exposure are the most effective deterrents to buying sex. Sex buyers were more likely than men who did not buy sex to report sexual aggression and likelihood to rape. Men who bought sex scored higher on measures of impersonal sex and hostile masculinity and had less empathy for prostituted women, viewing them as intrinsically different from other women. When compared with non-sex-buyers, these findings indicate that men who buy sex share certain key characteristics with men at risk of committing sexual aggression as documented by research based on the leading scientific model of the characteristics of non-criminal sexually aggressive men, the Confluence Model of sexual aggression.
Pengaruh Inflasi, Nilai Tukar Rupiah, BI Rate Terhadap Net Asset Value Reksa Dana Saham Syariah

This research aims to examine the influence of inflation, Rupiah exchange rate, and BI rate towards Net Asset Value (NAV) Sharia Equity Fund from January 2011 through December 2014. This research used the quantitative approach method. The analysis techniques used is multiple linear regression and the equation is Y = 12,081-1,755(I)-0,131(RER)-84,492(BI rate). Based on the result of t-test, the rupiah exchange rate has a significant influence by the value -3,017. Inflation and BI rate partially has not significant influence to Net Asset Value (NAV) Sharia Equity Fund with result t -0,144 for Inflation and -1,431 for BI rate. The result of simultaneous test showed that inflation, rupiah exchange rate, and BI rate has significant effect to Net Asset Value (NAV) Sharia Equity Fund with significance value 0,004. The suggestions was investment manager is to keep attention to macro economic factors such as inflation, rupiah exchange rate, and BI rate. In order to invest in sharia equity fund can contribute a maximum profit.
Supply Disruption with a Risk-Averse Buyer

We consider a supply chain with two unreliable suppliers competing to supply one risk-averse buyer. We model the interaction among the supply chain participants as a Nash game among the suppliers, and Stackelberg games between the suppliers and the buyer. By introducing risk aversion, the buyer implements a spectrum of distinctive diversification and order inflation strategies, instead of the extreme ordering strategies of single sourcing, duplicate sourcing and various boundary ordering strategies in the risk-neutral case. In the case of exogenous wholesale price, we fully characterize the buyer's optimal order quantities. We find that the more reliable supplier can possibly increase his market share by increasing his wholesale price. In the case of endogenous wholesale prices, we find that cases of non-existence, uniqueness and multiplicity of equilibria can all possibly occur depending on the level of risk aversion, and we characterize the equilibrium in some cases. We also find that as the buyer becomes more risk averse he is less sensitive to the wholesale prices in terms of order quantities, giving more power to the suppliers to exploit the buyer's risk.
Efficacy and safety of inhaled aztreonam lysine for airway pseudomonas in cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND We assessed the short-term efficacy and safety of aztreonam lysine for inhalation (AZLI [an aerosolized monobactam antibiotic]) in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) airway infection. METHODS In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, international study (AIR-CF1 trial; June 2005 to April 2007), patients (n = 164; >or= 6 years of age) with FEV(1) >or= 25% and <or= 75% predicted values, and no recent use of antipseudomonal antibiotics or azithromycin were treated with 75 mg of AZLI (three times daily for 28 days) or placebo (1:1 randomization), then were monitored for 14 days after study drug completion. The primary efficacy end point was change in patient-reported respiratory symptoms (CF-Questionnaire-Revised [CFQ-R] Respiratory Scale). Secondary end points included changes in pulmonary function (FEV(1)), sputum PA density, and nonrespiratory CFQ-R scales. Adverse events and minimum inhibitory concentrations of aztreonam for PA were monitored. RESULTS After 28 days of treatment, AZLI improved the mean CFQ-R respiratory score (9.7 points; p < 0.001), FEV(1) (10.3% predicted; p < 0.001), and sputum PA density (- 1.453 log(10) cfu/g; p < 0.001), compared with placebo. Significant improvements in Eating, Emotional Functioning, Health Perceptions, Physical Functioning, Role Limitation/School Performance, and Vitality CFQ-R scales were observed. Adverse events were consistent with symptoms of CF lung disease and were comparable for AZLI and placebo except the incidence of "productive cough" was reduced by half in AZLI-treated patients. PA aztreonam susceptibility at baseline and end of therapy were similar. CONCLUSIONS In patients with CF, PA airway infection, moderate-to-severe lung disease, and no recent use of antipseudomonal antibiotics or azithromycin, 28-day treatment with AZLI significantly improved respiratory symptoms and pulmonary function, and was well tolerated. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00112359.
MDR1 Haplotypes Do Not Affect the Steady‐State Pharmacokinetics of Cyclosporine in Renal Transplant Patients

This retrospective study investigated the impact of MDR1 haplotypes derived from the single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) 2677G>T (exon 21) and 3435C>T (exon 26) on the pharmacokinetics of cyclosporine in 98 renal transplant patients. Based on SNPs 2677 and 3435, four different haplotypes and nine different genotypes were identified in the study sample. Frequencies of SNPs, genotypes, and haplotypes were in agreement with previously reported values. Cyclosporine pharmacokinetics were characterized using a 2‐hour AUC (AUC0–12), trough concentrations (C0), and blood concentrations 2 hours after cyclosporine administration (C2). No significant differences in dose‐corrected AUC0–12, C0, or C2 values were observed between carriers of different SNP variants and genotypes (Kruskal‐Wallis test), as well as between carriers and noncarriers of each haplotype (Mann‐Whitney U test). Carriers of haplotype 12 (2677G and 3435T), which has previously been associated with increased digoxin AUC values, had a median AUC0–12 of 18.9 μg•h•L−1 (range: 9.0–35.2) compared to 17.5 μg•h•L−1 (range: 7.5–37.1) in the noncarrier group. It was concluded that MDR1 haplotypes derived from the SNPs 2677G>T (exon 21) and 3435C>T (exon 26) are not associated with cyclosporine pharma‐ cokinetics in renal transplant patients.
Nasal Polyposis and Allergy: Is There a Correlation?

Nasal polyposis (NP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa. The etiology and formation of NP are still not elucidated and have been debated for many years. The objective of the present study was to investigate the role of nasal allergy in the development of NP. The following aspects were analyzed: age, sex, and patient's symptoms; correlation between asthma, aspirin intolerance, and NP; serum immunoglobulin levels and eosinophil; and concentration of interleukins 1β, 3, and 4 in NP. Thirty-nine patients with NP were selected, 13 of them allergic and 26 non-allergic. A control group of 11 individuals was also studied. The concentrations of interleukins 1β, 3, and 4 were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). There was a higher incidence of NP after the fourth decade of life and among men. We found no correlation of asthma or aspirin intolerance with the presence or absence of allergy. Serum levels of IgE and eosinophils were significantly higher in patients with allergy and NP and the concentrations of interleukins 3 and 4 were positively correlated with NP. There was no difference in interleukin 3 and 4 concentration between the non-allergic group with NP and the control group, suggesting that these interleukins do not play an important role in the etiology and formation of NP. These results suggest that the immunologic pathway involved in the etiology of NP is different from the one correlated with allergy (IgE-mediated).
Do hospital balanced scorecard measures reflect cause-effect relationships?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether first level measures in the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) declaring a cause-effect relationship by design are composite indices of lower measures, and if they converge into a single factor as is traditionally accepted in the BSC literature. Design/methodology/approach This study reports results of a quantitative case study that focusses on an Ontario (Canada) community hospital that has been using the BSC. Findings The results of this study challenge the cause-effect assumption of the BSC, particularly in a cascading context, and suggest that a lack of attention of how composite indices of lower measures converge into a single higher level measure may be the reason for ineffective use of the BSC. Research limitations/implications The BSC is a dynamic tool; as such there are several measures that have a very short history, thus limiting the observations available to be used in statistical models. Practical implications A key recommendation for practice that emerges from this study is the need to test if lower level metrics do merge naturally in the upper level measure of the BSC; if not, the upper level measure might not be linked to other measures rendering the BSC ineffective in the context of causality. Originality/value Although several studies have argued in favour of the cause-effect relationship of the BSC, none of those found in the literature have paid attention to the way in which first level measures are constructed. This may explain why certain measures are linked, while others are not, to those that are calculated as composite indices of several lower level indicators.