Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phenotypic heterogeneity in the gray platelet syndrome extends to the expression of TREM family member, TLT-1

Summary The Gray platelet syndrome (GPS) is a rare inherited disorder linked to undefined molecular abnormalities that prevent the formation and maturation of α-granules. Here, we report studies on two patients from unrelated families that confirm phenotypic heterogeneity in the disease. First we used immunoelectron microscopy (I-EM) to confirm that TREM-like transcript-1 (TLT-1) is mostly localized to α-granule membranes of normal platelets. Then we performed Western blotting (WB) and flow cytometry with permeabilized platelets to show that TLT - 1 is selectively reduced in the platelets of patient 1, previously noted to be deficient in glycoprotein (GP)VI (Nurden et al., Blood 2004; 104: 107–114). Yet both TLT - 1 and GPVI were normally expressed in platelets of patient 2. Usual levels of JAM-C and claudin-5, also members of the immunoglobulin receptor family, were detected in platelets of both patients. In contrast, P-selectin was markedly decreased for patient 1 but not patient 2.Two metalloproteases, MMP-2 and MMP-9 were normally present. As predicted, platelets of patient 1 showed little labelling for TLT - 1 in I-EM, whereas residual Fg was seen in small vesicular structures and P-selectin lining vacuoles or channels of what may be elements of the surface-connected canalicular system. Our results identify TLT - 1 as a glycoprotein potentially targeted in platelets of GPS patients, while decreases in at least three membrane glycoproteins suggest that an unidentified proteolytic activity may contribute to the phenotype in some patients with this rare disease.
Is British economic geography in decline?

In this brief note on the movement (or should it be defection? ) of UK economic geographers from geography departments into business schools, I argue that this movement is in fact part of a wider de-prioritization and emasculation of economic geography within many geography departments across the country. Yet this rundown of British economic geography has occurred precisely at a time when the importance and relevance of the subdiscipline have become increasingly recognized within national and local policy circles. Reversing the institutional decline of economic geography across the British university system is therefore imperative.
The relationship between personal knowledge and decision self-efficacy in choosing trial of labor after cesarean.

INTRODUCTION The number of women in the United States giving birth via cesarean remains high as the number of vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC) declines. The purpose of this study was to explore how personal knowledge and decision self-efficacy of women who had a prior cesarean birth affected their decision about mode of birth in a subsequent pregnancy. METHODS A sample of 45 pregnant women with a history of a prior cesarean birth between 10 and 22 weeks' gestation were surveyed to assess their knowledge of the risks and benefits of trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) and elective repeat cesarean delivery (ERCD), and their degree of decision self-efficacy related to their choice of mode of birth for the present pregnancy. RESULTS Decision self-efficacy was not a significant predictor of choice for mode of birth (P = 0.58). Knowledge scores of women who chose ERCD ranged from 0 to 10 (mean [SD], 4.64 [2.94]). Of women who chose TOLAC, knowledge scores ranged from 0 to 13 (mean [SD], 5.90 [3.64]) out of a total possible score of 14. Knowledge was found to be a significant factor in the decision-making process for mode of birth (P = 0.03). Among women who were deemed to have high knowledge, 55% chose TOLAC, whereas 24% of women with high knowledge chose ERCD. The likelihood of a woman with high knowledge scores choosing a TOLAC was 3.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09-13.81) times the odds of a woman with low knowledge scores choosing ERCD. DISCUSSION In this study, more knowledge about the risks and benefits of TOLAC and ERCD was found to be positively associated with the decision for TOLAC. This finding is important for health care providers when counseling women who have had a prior cesarean about their choices regarding mode of birth during a subsequent pregnancy. Supplying women with complete and accurate information about the risks and benefits of both choices may help increase the number of women who opt for TOLAC.
Evolutionary mechanisms acting on proteinase inhibitor variability

The interaction of proteinase inhibitors produced, in most cases, by host organisms and the invasive proteinases of pathogens or parasites or the dietary proteinases of predators, results in an evolutionary ‘arms race’ of rapid and ongoing change in both interacting proteins. The importance of these interactions in pathogenicity and predation is indicated by the high level and diversity of observable evolutionary activity that has been found. At the initial level of evolutionary change, recruitment of other functional protein‐folding families has occurred, with the more recent evolution of one class of proteinase inhibitor from another, using the same mechanism and proteinase contact residues. The combination of different inhibitor domains into a single molecule is also observed. The basis from which variation is possible is shown by the high rate of retention of gene duplication events and by the associated process of inhibitory domain multiplication. At this level of reorganization, mutually exclusive splicing is also observed. Finally, the major mechanism by which variation is achieved rapidly is hypervariation of contact residues, an almost ubiquitous feature of proteinase inhibitors. The diversity of evolutionary mechanisms in a single class of proteins is unlikely to be common, because few systems are under similar pressure to create variation. Proteinase inhibitors are therefore a potential model system in which to study basic evolutionary process such as functional diversification.
Modelling the Delay Distribution of Information Centric Delay Tolerant Networks in Disaster Area

Many natural disasters are unpredictable and can cause great damage to the communications infrastructure of the affected areas. The disruption of communications in disaster areas can severely hinder the process of disaster relief and therefore, strategies aiming at quickly deploying communications capabilities are part of the disaster response. Information Centric Delay Tolerant Networks (ICDTN) constitute an attractive option for quickly restoring the communications capabilities in disaster areas. In this paper, we consider an ICDTN infrastructure-less scenario in which moving nodes, capable of exchanging content units, act as the ferry for the transmission of information. With the assumption that moving nodes follow the Random Waypoint Mobility Model (RWMM), we propose a Markovian model describing the request and delivery of content units and obtain the distribution of encounter numbers and delay between content request and delivery. We compare the results from our Markovian model with simulation results and show that our approach describes ICDTN over RWMM nodes with high accuracy.
Azathioprine‐induced Sweet's syndrome and published work review

Hypersensitivity to azathioprine can manifest with a wide clinical spectrum. Azathioprine‐induced Sweet's syndrome (SS) is rare and usually overlooked because it can mimic disease exacerbation and sepsis. This study aims to characterize the clinical findings of azathioprine‐induced SS. A retrospective analysis of the records of three patients diagnosed with azathioprine‐induced SS and a review of the relevant English‐language published work was performed. Twelve (71%) of the 17 patients were male, ranging 9–89 years in age (mean, 47.2). The time of onset after starting azathioprine was 5–28 days (mean, 13.3). The most common associated disease was inflammatory bowel disease including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease (76%). The clinical features typically consisted of fever and classic rash of SS with pustules and vesicles. The lesions occurred most commonly on the face and trunk. Systemic involvement was rare and no hypotension or shock was reported as seen in azathioprine hypersensitivity syndrome. Thiopurine methyltransferase activity is not predictive of this type of adverse effect. Most patients dramatically responded to systemic corticosteroids. Azathioprine‐induced SS may be underdiagnosed because it can be easily misinterpreted as inflammatory bowel disease‐associated skin eruption. Patients with inflammatory bowel disease may be at higher risk of this condition. Early recognition and drug withdrawal can decrease morbidity of the patients.
A content analysis of creative execution on green advertisements in Malaysia

Awareness among society members is a crucial point in promoting environmental issues in the world especially Malaysia. Various steps have been taken by the relevant authorities to increase awareness on environmental issues. One of the steps is to disseminate information through media. Another step is by executing environmental campaign through advertising whether in print or electronic. However, it would be a “wasteful” campaign if advertisement on environment in media is not effective or will not be able to attract public attention. Therefore, it is strongly believed that one of the essential criteria in the advertisement is creative execution. This paper aims to study the green advertising in Malaysia focussing on green print advertisement in four selected magazines published in March 2011. Five objectives are set which are to analyse (1) ad's characteristics in selected green advertisements, (2) ad's greenness contains in selected green advertisements, (3) ad's objectives in selected green advertisements, (4) ad's appeals contain in selected green advertisements and (5) environmental issues contain in selected green advertisements. Analytical framework introduced by Banerjee, et. al (1995) was adopted in this study.
Detection of Genital HPV Infection Using Urine Samples: a Population Based Study in India.

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer is the second commonest cancer among Indian women and its association with human papilloma virus (HPV) is well established. This preventable cancer accounts for the maximum number of cancer related deaths among rural Indian women. Unlike in developed countries there are no organized cervical cancer screening programmes in India due to lack of resources and manpower. OBJECTIVE To detect genital HPV infection using urine samples among asymptomatic rural women in the age group of 18-65 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study area chosen was Perdoor village in Udupi Taluk, Karnataka State and all the women in the age group of 18-65 years formed the study cohort. A cross sectional study was conducted by house visits and 1,305 women were enrolled in the study. After taking written informed consent a data sheet was filled and early stream random urine samples were collected, transported to a laboratory at 4OC and aliquoted. Samples were tested using nested HPV PCR with PGMY09/11 and GP5+/6+ primers. Positive cases were genotyped by sequence analysis. RESULTS Study participants included 1,134 sexually active and 171 unmarried women with a mean age at marriage of 22.1 (SD=3.9) years. Study area showed high female literacy rate of 86.6%. Five urine samples tested positive for HPV DNA (0.4%). CONCLUSIONS We found very low genital HPV infection rate among women from monogamous community. This is the first major population based study carried out among asymptomatic rural women to detect genital HPV infectio from Karnataka using urine samples.
Maintenance of Intracellular pH and Acid Tolerance in Rhizobium meliloti

The development and function of the Rhizobium meliloti-Medicago sp. symbiosis are sensitive to soil acidity. Physiological criteria that can be measured in culture which serve to predict acid tolerance in soil would be valuable. The intracellular pH of R. meliloti was measured using either radioactively labeled weak acids (5,5-dimethyloxazolidine-2,4-dione and butyric acid) or pH-sensitive fluorescent compounds; both methods gave similar values. Six acid-tolerant strains (WSM419, WSM533, WSM539, WSM540, WSM852, and WSM870) maintained an alkaline intracellular pH when the external pH was between 5.6 and 7.2. In contrast, two Australian commercial inoculant strains (CC169 and U45) and four acid-sensitive strains from alkaline soils in Iraq (WSM244, WSM301, WSM365, and WSM367) maintained an alkaline intracellular pH when the external pH was ≥6.5, but had intracellular pH values of ≤6.8 when the external pH was ≤6.0. Four transposon Tn5-induced mutants of acid-tolerant strain WSM419, impaired in their ability to grow at pH 5.6, showed limited control over the intracellular pH. The ability to generate a large pH gradient under acid conditions may be a better indicator of acid tolerance in R. meliloti under field conditions than is growth on acidic agar plates.
Pathological changes in broiler chickens fed ochratoxin A and inoculated with Escherichia coli

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of ochratoxin A (OA) on Escherichia coli-challenged broiler chickens. One hundred and eighty-four one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into two groups of 92 chicks each, with one group fed a control mash diet and the other fed a mash diet containing 2 parts/106 OA. On day 14, each group was further subdivided into two groups with one group inoculated with E. coli O78 (1×107 colony-forming units/0.5 ml) by the intraperitoneal route, whereas the other group was not inoculated with E. coli. Four birds from each group were sacrificed at 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days post-inoculation to record pathological changes in the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, bursa, spleen and thymus. E. coli infection induced perihepatitis and pericarditis in the liver and heart, respectively, in chickens infected with E. coli alone or in OA-fed birds from 1 day post-infection (DPI) onwards. At 1 DPI, a thin fibrin layer covered the liver and heart; however, at subsequent days, the layer became thicker. E. coli infection did not produce appreciable changes in the kidneys, bursa or thymus. However, there was congestion of the lungs along with mononuclear cell infiltration. Ochratoxin feeding induced changes from 10 DPI onwards in chicks fed OA alone and those infected with E. coli. The changes in kidneys included swollen proximal convoluted tubules, degeneration of tubular epithelium and interstitial nephritis. Degenerative changes and mononuclear cell infiltration were recorded in the liver. There was atrophy of the lymphoid organs along with depletion of lymphocytes. Gross and histopathological changes were more severe in chickens fed OA and inoculated with E. coli than the chickens fed OA alone or those infected with E. coli, indicating combined action of these two.
A Comprehensive DC Short-Circuit Fault Ride Through Strategy of Hybrid Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs) for Overhead Line Transmission

The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a promising candidate for voltage-sourced-converter-based high-voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) transmission. The dc short-circuit fault management is a crucial issue especially for overhead line transmission, where the nonpermanent dc short-circuit faults occasionally occur. In this paper, a comprehensive dc short-circuit fault ride through (FRT) strategy is proposed for a hybrid MMC which combines half-bridge submodules and full-bridge submodules. By the proposed method, the hybrid MMC-based VSC-HVDC system is able to ride through a pole-to-pole short-circuit fault supporting the ac grid as a static synchronous compensator. Moreover, the transmission system can still transmit one-half of the rated active power in case of a pole-to-ground short-circuit fault without increasing power semiconductor stresses or requiring higher insulation levels of the electric equipment. The proposed method ensures successful regulation of arm currents and submodule capacitor voltages during the FRT process. Validity of the proposed strategy is verified by both computer simulation and experiment results.
Earnings Quality and Investment Efficiency: Evidence from Eastern Europe

Abstract This study explores the firm-level relationship between earnings quality and investment efficiency. Higher quality of reported results has the capacity to positively impact the efficiency of company’s investment levels by over- and underinvestment reduction. The research is carried out on the sample of 7546 companies from Eastern Europe for the period 2010-2015. Eastern European countries have a unique institutional and business environment that is relevant to the purpose of this paper. We divide the sample into 2 fundamentally different economic sectors - industrial and retail - and test the significance of each factor in the main relationship. We also examine the factor of the firm’s ownership form by comparing earnings quality with investment efficiency values between public and private companies. Our main results show that a higher earnings quality mitigates both overinvestment and underinvestment issues. The relationship between earnings quality and underinvestment turns out to be stronger in the industrial sector. As for the comparison of public and private firms, public companies on average demonstrate a higher earnings quality and lower overinvestment issues.
Trends in cholecystectomy rates in a defined population during and after the period of transition from open to laparoscopic surgery

Abstract Objective. To evaluate cholecystectomy rates in a Norwegian county during the transition time from open to laparoscopic surgery, with focus on the incident rate of laparoscopic operations, sex differences, age at operation, and indications for cholecystectomy. Material and methods. All 2615 patients living in North Trondelag County and operated with cholecystectomy for benign biliary disease between 1990 and 2011 were identified. Poisson regression was used to analyze factors associated with cholecystectomy incidence rate ratios (IRRs). Results. The proportion of completed laparoscopic cholecystectomies was 8% in 1992, 50% in 1994, 94% in 2003 and 99% in 2011. The incidence of cholecystectomy increased from 6.2 per 10 000 person-years in 1990–1992, 8.0 in 1993–1997, to 10.0 in 1998–2003 and remained at this level with a rate of 10.7 during 2004–2011. Adjusting for age at each year of surgery the IRR for females compared with males was 2.3(2.1–2.5) p < 0.001. The median age at operation was 60.2 years (13–90) in males, 50.1 years (12–93) in females p < 0.001. The median age diminished by 5 years in both males and females. A conversion from laparoscopic to open surgery decreased significantly by calendar year of surgery, increased with age of the patient, and was less often in surgery for gallstone colic than for other indications. Conclusions. During the introduction of laparoscopic surgery, the rates of cholecystectomy increased and remained stable at a higher level during the later years of the study. The rate of completed laparoscopic operations increased from 8% in 1992 to 99% in 2011.
Perspective taking associated with social relationships: A NIRS study

Social neuroscience has made considerable progress in revealing the mechanisms underlying empathy. We focused on the mechanism of perspective taking, which is one aspect of the empathic process that includes the emotional inhibitory mechanism, a function of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex using the near-infrared spectroscopy. As a pretreatment, 19 participants played a game with confederates playing either fairly or unfairly. Accordingly, each participant evaluated valence of their partner's faces. The data showed that taking the other perspective of an unfair player activated the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in participants with high PT ability. In contrast, the behavioral data showed no differences between those participants with high and low-perspective taking abilities. These results suggest that different types of empathic features can produce different perspective taking strategies.
Colon Carcinoma Cell Growth Is Associated with Prostaglandin E2/EP4 Receptor-evoked ERK Activation*

Cyclooxygenase (COX) and its prostanoid metabolites have been implicated in the control of cell survival; however, their role as mitogens remains undefined. To better understand the role of prostanoids on cell growth, we used mouse colon adenocarcinoma (CT26) cells to investigate the role of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in cell proliferation. CT26 cells express both COX1 and COX2 and metabolize arachidonic acid to PGE2. Treatment with indomethacin, or COX-selective inhibitors, prevents PGE2 biosynthesis and CT26 cell proliferation. The anti-proliferative effects of COX inhibition are rescued specifically by treatment with PGE2 or the EP4 receptor-selective agonist PGE1-OH via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation, thus providing a functional link between PGE2-induced cell proliferation and EP4-mediated ERK signaling. Indomethacin or COX2 inhibitors, but not COX1 inhibitors, reduced the size and number of CT26-derived tumors in vivo. These inhibitory effects are paralleled by marked declines in the levels of tumor PGE2, suggesting that their anti-tumor effects are directly associated with the inhibition of COX2 enzymatic activity. The described anti-tumor effects of indomethacin are evident whether it is administered at the time of, or 7 days after, tumor cell injection, suggesting that it has tumor preventive and therapeutic actions. Furthermore, the observation that indomethacin increases the survival rates of tumor-bearing mice, even after withdrawal of the drug, indicates that its effects are long lasting and that it may be potentially useful for the prevention and the clinical management of human cancers.
Agricultural Price Shocks and Business Cycles - A Global Warning for Advanced Economies

For a panel of 75 countries, we find that increases in global agricultural commodity prices that are caused by unfavorable harvest shocks in other regions of the world significantly curtail domestic economic activity. The effects are much larger than for average global agricultural price shifts. The impact is also considerably stronger in high-income countries, despite the lower shares of food in household expenditures these countries have compared to low-income countries. On the other hand, we find weaker effects in countries that are net exporters of agricultural products, have higher shares of agriculture in GDP or lower shares of non-agricultural trade in GDP; that is, characteristics that typically apply to low-income countries. When we control for these country characteristics, we find indeed that the effects on economic activity become smaller when income per capita is higher. Overall, our findings imply that the consequences of climate change on advanced economies are likely larger than previously thought.