Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship of arousals from sleep to sympathetic nervous system activity and BP in obstructive sleep apnea.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients have a high frequency of arousals. We hypothesized that arousals significantly influence tonic sympathetic nervous system function. DESIGN We examined the association of 11 variables measuring sympathetic activity, including plasma norepinephrine (NE), urinary NE, and BP measurements, with movement and cortical arousals. PATIENTS Sixty-seven subjects with various degrees of hypertension and OSA were evaluated. All patients were free from antihypertensive medications. RESULTS The age (range, 35 to 60 years), weight (range, 100 to 150% of ideal body weight), and diet of the subjects were similar. The movement arousal index was correlated with daytime baseline plasma NE (BNE), daytime urine NE, mean daytime diastolic BP, and systolic BP during rapid eye movement sleep (r = 0.39 to 0.53; p < or = 0.002). Cortical arousals did not correlate with any of the variables. A multiple regression procedure was performed to examine how well movement arousals predicted those variables with significant correlations. The respiratory disturbance index (RDI) and nighttime pulse oxyhemoglobin saturation were included in the regression equation due to their close association with movement arousals. Movement arousals independently predicted BNE (t [48] = 2.06; p < 0.05). No other variable independently predicted any of the measurements of sympathetic activity. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that movement arousals may influence daytime sympathetic tone independently of RDI and nighttime saturation.
Women in ASPA: The Fifty-Year Climb toward Equality

In the 50 years since the founding of ASPA, vast changes have taken place in the economic and social fabric of American society. One of the most dramatic changes has been the increased participation of women in the labor force. In 1940, only 28 percent of all adult women were members of this nation's civilian labor force; by 1987 that proportion had doubled to 56 percent. In contrast, from 1940 to 1987 the labor force participation rate of men declined from 83 percent to 76 percent. In 1987, of the 54 million women in the labor force, 8.6 million or 16 percent were employed by federal, state, and local governments.
Effect of CAPD dialysate on the release of eicosanoids and cytokines from human peritoneal macrophages.

The effect of fresh peritoneal dialysis (PD) solution and effluent on the generation of eicosanoids and cytokines by human peritoneal macrophages (PMO) was studied in vitro. PMO, isolated by density gradient separation from patients undergoing intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD), were incubated for 2 h with PD effluent after dwell periods of 5 to 240 min or fresh PD solution. Supplemented RPMI-1640 medium served as control. PMO were stimulated by calcium ionophore A23187 (10 M). PD solution significantly inhibited the release of prostanoids (PGE2, TXB2, 6-k-PGF1), leukotrienes (LTB4, LTC4), and cytokines (11-6, TNF) from PMO by 60 to 96% (p < 0.05). Addition of A23187 increased the generation of TXB2, LTB4, and LTC4 in PD solution adjusted to pH 7.4 to 2.7 up to 28.6 times the basal level, but was ineffective in PD fluid at pH 5.2. Incubation of PMO with PD effluent of varying dwell times resulted in a rise of all assayed mediators (p < 0.05). The release of IL-6 increased continuously from 80 +/- 10 pg/10(6) PMO (0 min dwell time) to 440 +/- 104 pg/10(6) PMO (4 h dwell time, mean +/- S.E.M.). TNF generation rose from 6.0 +/- 0.1 pg/10(6) PMO (0 min dwell time) to 162 +/- 54 pg/10(6) PMO after 5 min dwell time and remained constant with effluents of longer dwell times (15 to 240 min). Exposure of PMO to PD effluents after 240 min dwell time tended to decrease the median levels of PGE2, TXB2, and 6-k-PGF1. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Australian Multicenter Study of Isolated Limb Infusion for Melanoma

Purpose. Isolated limb infusion (ILI) offers a less invasive alternative to isolated limb perfusion (ILP) for the treatment of locally advanced extremity melanoma. In Australia, ILI has essentially completely replaced ILP. The aim of this study was to collect and evaluate the results of ILI in an Australian multicenter setting. Patients and Methods. The results of 316 first ILI procedures, performed between 1992 and 2008 in five Australian institutions, were collectively analyzed, with all five institutions using the same protocol. Melphalan was circulated in the isolated limb for 20–30 min (±actinomycin D). Response was determined using the World Health Organization criteria, and limb toxicity was assessed using the Wieberdink scale. Results. The median patient age was 74 years (range 28– 100) and 59 % of patients were female. Overall response rate was 75 % (complete response [CR] 33 %; partial response 42 %). Stable disease was seen in 18 % of patients and progressive disease in 7 %. Wieberdink grade III or higher was seen in 30 % of the cases. No toxicityrelated amputations occurred, and median survival was 44 months. In patients with a CR, median survival was 80 months (p = 0.014). On multivariate analysis, Breslow thickness, lower-limb ILI, and a procedure performed at the Melanoma Institute Australia remained significant predictors for response, although not for survival. Conclusions. This Australian multicenter study of ILI is the largest reported to date. ILI is a useful technique that can be safely and effectively performed across tertiary referral centers for the successful management of advanced extremity melanoma. Increased optimization of perioperative factors might allow response rates to be raised further, while maintaining acceptable toxicity. With the increasing incidence of melanoma, more patients are at risk of developing locally recurrent disease or in-transit metastases. Bulky recurrent lesions that cannot be surgically excised represent a devastating event for the patient and often present a formidable technical challenge for the surgeon. However, if the disease is confined to a limb, it can often be successfully treated by isolated limb infusion (ILI). ILI is a minimally invasive and non-oxygenated, low-flow version of isolated limb perfusion (ILP), performed via percutaneously inserted catheters without the need for extracorporeal bypass Society of Surgical Oncology 2015 First Received: 1 May 2015; Published Online: 18 November 2015 H. M. Kroon, MD, PhD e-mail: hmkroon@hotmail.com B. J. Coventry, BMBS, PhD, FRACS, FACS, FRSM e-mail: brendon.coventry@adelaide.edu. au Ann Surg Oncol (2016) 23:1096–1103 DOI 10.1245/s10434-015-4969-2
Evidence from Studies with Intact Mammalian Cells That Merbarone and bis(Dioxopiperazine)s Are Topoisomerase II Poisons

Abstract A Chinese hamster V79 cell-based assay for detection of topoisomerase II (topo II) poisons and catalytic inhibitors has been applied to study two bis(dioxopiperazine)s (ICRF-187 and ICRF-154) and a structurally distinct but related compound, merbarone. All three compounds have been previously characterized as being catalytic inhibitors of DNA topo II based primarily on in vitro studies with purified enzymes. The present studies indicate, to the contrary, that all three compounds are very potent DNA clastogens in V79 cells, by virtue of their ability to produce micronuclei, the formation of which is strongly antagonized under conditions in which DNA topo II is rendered catalytically inactive. None of the compounds could be demonstrated to possess catalytic inhibitory activity in intact V79 cells under the conditions tested. These studies provide biological evidence that bis(dioxopiperazine)s are capable of functional topo II poisoning in intact mammalian cells.
How Institutional and Organizational Characteristics Explain the Growth of Contingent Work in China

China’s traditional model of long-term employment has been undermined by an increased reliance on nonrenewable fixed-term and temporary agency employment contracts. In this study, the author draws on survey data from 130 establishments and interviews of 48 key informants to explore the spread of contingent work. Results indicate that state-owned and unionized establishments are more likely to use contingent labor, and stringent and uncertain enforcement of labor regulations is positively associated with its use. The qualitative analysis presents managers’ interpretations of these relationships. In the presence of weak labor institutions and poor enforcement, managers adopt contingent employment practices to retain the power to terminate employees at will, accrue benefits through regulatory arbitrage, and promote their own interests when handling conflicting intra-organizational demands.
Resilience among abused and neglected children grown up

Although an extensive literature has accumulated documenting the maladaptive outcomes associated with childhood victimization, a limited body of knowledge addresses resilience. This paper sought to operationalize the construct of resilience across a number of domains of functioning and time periods and to determine the extent to which abused and neglected children grown up demonstrate resilience. Substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect from 1967 to 1971 were matched on gender, age, race, and approximate family social class with nonabused and nonneglected children and followed prospectively into young adulthood. Between 1989 and 1995, 1,196 participants (676 abused and neglected and 520 controls) were administered a 2-hr in-person interview, including a psychiatric assessment. Resilience requires meeting the criteria for success across six of eight domains of functioning: employment, homelessness, education, social activity, psychiatric disorder, substance abuse, and two domains assessing criminal behavior (official arrest and self-reports of violence). Results indicate that 22% of abused and neglected individuals meet the criteria for resilience. More females met the criteria for resilience and females were successful across a greater number of domains than males. We speculate on the meaning of these findings and discuss implications for the child maltreatment field. Limitations of the study are also acknowledged.
A Study of Change Readiness: Factors That Influence the Readiness of Frontline Workers Towards a Nursing Home Transformational Change Initiative.

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence the readiness of frontline workers toward a nursing home’s planned organizational change. Individual levels of readiness toward change were assessed to determine if there were differences in levels of readiness and: organizational commitment, relationship with direct supervisor, and perceived organizational support. Demographic variables were also assessed to determine whether a relationship existed with change readiness. A quantitative method was employed for the study using a single-subject survey design. 460 employees from a large not-for-profit nursing home in upstate New York completed the survey. The organization was in the planning stage of a transformational change. While none of the demographic variables showed a statistically significant relationship with change readiness, each of the independent variables did. Moderately strong positive correlations were found between change readiness and: relationship with supervisor ( r ( 324 ) = . 376, p < . 001), organizational commitment ( r (343) = . 480, p < . 001), and organizational support ( r (307) = . 392, p < . 001). Results of hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated a statistically significant positive relationship between change readiness and: commitment to the organization and relationship with supervisor; together predicting 32 percent of the overall change readiness scores. This study expands the body of knowledge relative to change readiness. However, many aspects of the model of readiness (Armenakis et al., 1993) have yet to be tested. The Organizational Change Recipients’ Belief Scale (OCRBS) provides researchers with a uniform assessment to further test the model (Armenakis et al., 2007). Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Mary S. Collins Second Supervisor Lynn W. Nichols Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_etd/36 A Study of Change Readiness: Factors That Influence the Readiness of Frontline Workers Towards a Nursing Home Transformational Change Initiative.
Crp-dependent cytochrome bd oxidase confers nitrite resistance to Shewanella oneidensis.

Shewanella oneidensis is able to respire on a variety of organic and inorganic substrates, including nitrate and nitrite. Conversion of nitrate to nitrite and nitrite to ammonium is catalysed by periplasmic nitrate and nitrite reductases (NAP and NRF) respectively. Global regulator Crp (cyclic AMP receptor protein) is essential for growth of S. oneidensis on both nitrate and nitrite. In this study, we discovered that crp mutants are not only severely deficient in nitrate or nitrite respiration, but are also hypersensitive to nitrite. This hypersusceptibility phenotype is independent of nitrite respiration. Using random transposon mutagenesis, we obtained 73 Δcrp suppressor strains resistant to nitrite. Transposon insertion sites in 24 suppressor strains were exclusively mapped in the region upstream of the cyd operon encoding a cytochrome bd oxidase, resulting in expression of the operon now driven by a Crp-independent promoter. Further investigation indicated that the promoter in suppressor strains comes from the transposon. Mutational analysis of the cydB gene (encoding the essential subunit II of the bd oxidase) confirmed that the cytochrome bd oxidase confers nitrite resistance to S. oneidensis.
Working Paper – WP/14/08- A semi-structural approach to estimate South Africa’s potential output

The impact of the global financial crisis on estimates of potential output, and specifically the usefulness of accounting for financial effects in the estimation process, deserves special consideration. In this paper possible paths that potential output may follow after the financial crisis are discussed and a finance-neutral potential output measure is proposed. This approach incorporates information from financial indicators in the cycle of economic activity and it is shown that when financial shocks are controlled for, the level of potential output is lower in the build-up to the financial crisis and thereafter. When compared to other frequently used methods to estimate potential output, this approach appears to deliver more reliable estimates of the output gap, particularly in real-time.
Safety and efficacy of faldaprevir with pegylated interferon alfa‐2a and ribavirin in Japanese patients with chronic genotype‐1 hepatitis C infection

Faldaprevir (BI 201335) is a potent once‐daily (QD) NS3/4A protease inhibitor for the treatment of patients with genotype‐1 (GT‐1) hepatitis C virus (HCV). The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of faldaprevir plus pegylated interferon alfa‐2a (PegIFN) and ribavirin (RBV) in Japanese patients infected with chronic GT‐1 HCV.
$K$ -Order Estimation Technique for Determining the Maximum Electric Fields of Multiple-Antenna Transmitters in Compliance Tests

This paper presents a new estimation technique with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-order expressions for evaluating the maximum electric fields radiated from multiple-antenna transmitters such as those in mobile phones, WiFi access points, and cellphone base stations. The need for <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-order estimation to provide precisely estimated electric fields, then develop useful expressions for the estimation and validate the estimation model numerically and experimentally is explained. Fundamental concepts of estimation and detailed electric field formulas, applied to various measurement systems using vector or scalar E-field probes, are presented. Several validations are also illustrated. As a result, it is verified that <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-order estimations significantly reduce the differences between the estimated and simulated/measured E-fields [or specific absorption rates (SARs)]. Investigations on the maximum electric fields of two antennas operating at 2.5 GHz in an ordinary room show that the maximum difference between the electric fields obtained by conventional estimations and calculations can be 8.5%, which is suppressed to below 0.24% and 0.02% by 2- and 3-order estimations, respectively. Similarly, in evaluations of the SAR of a three-antenna configuration, the maximum difference between the estimated and calculated SARs of about 5% obtained by conventional estimations is reduced to 0.1% or 0.01% by 2- and 3-order estimations, respectively.
Contesting Europe: the constitutive impact of discursive dynamics on national referendum campaigns

A comparison of two referendum campaigns on Europe in France and Ireland shows two different patterns of mobilisation. Focusing on the perceived influence of the European treaties on national legislation on abortion, two different types of Euro-scepticism can be discerned. One is settled in a potentially universal project of ‘enlightenment’ (fearing the ‘criminalisation’ of abortion due to EU (European Union) regulations), the other is concerned with the defence of the nation’s democratic sovereignty against the EU (and fears ‘liberalisation’ of abortion due to the same EU regulations). A discourse analysis of these two different settings establishes the ‘discursive dynamics’ of each campaign: How were actors constituted (into ‘legitimate’ actors) and how could the (differing) interpretations of EU treaty provisions become plausible and constitute into different national discourses? Instead of perceiving social variables (norms, rules, identities) as ‘independent’ factors that explain outcomes, the social process of their constitution is at the centre of this analysis. Understanding how and when certain actors and certain topics (or problematiques) come into being (are ‘constituted’) may, in turn, allow some ‘reasoned claims’ on the character of popular Euro-scepticism.
The Role of Melanocortin 1 Receptor in Cutaneous Malignant Melanoma

Cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) is an epidemic cancer in the United States. Survival rates for invasive CMM have not increased in past decades despite numerous clinical trials and the effective use of various combinations of chemotherapy agents to treat other cancers. Recent research has investigated the role of melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R), a gene associated with red-hair phenotype in White individuals and with increased risk for developing CMM, in the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. This limited narrative review discusses the incidence, history, and risk factors for CMM. It explores familial CMM and provides a brief review of melanocyte development and melanogenesis. Histology of CMM and cytogenetic techniques used to identify CMM mutations is also discussed. The structure and function of MC1R is described, with particular attention to MC1R’s role in the MAPK pathway. Finally, the review touches on individualized therapy for CMM using genetic biomarkers and explores the promise of genomic research for finding effective treatments.
Awareness and Practice of Cervical Cancer Screening among Female Health Professionals in Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, Kano.

BACKGROUND Cervical cancer, although largely preventable, remains the most common cause of cancer mortality among women in the developing world. Other members of the community see health care workers as models, therefore their attitudes and actions are predictors of societal health behaviour. OBJECTIVES We assessed the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding prevention of cervical cancer among female health professionals in a secondary health facility in Kano, Nigeria. METHODS A structured questionnaire was administered on 230 female respondents in the various health professions including doctors, pharmacists, nurses and laboratory technologists in Murtala Mohammed Specialist hospital, Kano. RESULTS Over 60% of the respondents were able to correctly identify all the important aetiological factors associated with cervical cancer, while a similar figure knew the important signs and symptoms of the disease. Up to 94.7% of the respondents had a positive attitude towards Pap smear while 8.2% disapproved of it. Only 20.8% of the respondents have had a Pap smear done previously. Married respondents were more than four times likely to have had a previous Pap smear compared to their single counterparts. (X(2) = 13.3 df=1 P = 0.0003)[O.R=4.8, 95% confidence interval= 1.9 -14.4]. In contrast, religion appeared to have no significant influence on the practice (X(2)= 0.87 df=1 P=0.35). CONCLUSIONS Despite a moderately high level of knowledge of cervical cancer screening and positive attitude towards it, the uptake of Pap smear was low. There is a need for continuing education to improve uptake of these services by health professionals so as to serve as a motivating factor for the public. Key words: cervical cancer screening, pap smear, female health workers, knowledge, practices.
An Extended Proteome Map of the Lysosomal Membrane Reveals Novel Potential Transporters*

Lysosomes are membrane-bound endocytic organelles that play a major role in degrading cell macromolecules and recycling their building blocks. A comprehensive knowledge of the lysosome function requires an extensive description of its content, an issue partially addressed by previous proteomic analyses. However, the proteins underlying many lysosomal membrane functions, including numerous membrane transporters, remain unidentified. We performed a comparative, semi-quantitative proteomic analysis of rat liver lysosome-enriched and lysosome-nonenriched membranes and used spectral counts to evaluate the relative abundance of proteins. Among a total of 2,385 identified proteins, 734 proteins were significantly enriched in the lysosomal fraction, including 207 proteins already known or predicted as endo-lysosomal and 94 proteins without any known or predicted subcellular localization. The remaining 433 proteins had been previously assigned to other subcellular compartments but may in fact reside on lysosomes either predominantly or as a secondary location. Many membrane-associated complexes implicated in diverse processes such as degradation, membrane trafficking, lysosome biogenesis, lysosome acidification, signaling, and nutrient sensing were enriched in the lysosomal fraction. They were identified to an unprecedented extent as most, if not all, of their subunits were found and retained by our screen. Numerous transporters were also identified, including 46 novel potentially lysosomal proteins. We expressed 12 candidates in HeLa cells and observed that most of them colocalized with the lysosomal marker LAMP1, thus confirming their lysosomal residency. This list of candidate lysosomal proteins substantially increases our knowledge of the lysosomal membrane and provides a basis for further characterization of lysosomal functions.