Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Pregnane X Receptor-mediated and Sterol Regulatory Element-binding Protein-independent Lipogenic Pathway*

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) was isolated as a xenosensor regulating xenobiotic responses. In this study, we show that PXR plays an endobiotic role by impacting lipid homeostasis. Expression of an activated PXR in the livers of transgenic mice resulted in an increased hepatic deposit of triglycerides. This PXR-mediated lipid accumulation was independent of the activation of the lipogenic transcriptional factor SREBP-1c (sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c) and its primary lipogenic target enzymes, including fatty-acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC-1). Instead, the lipid accumulation in transgenic mice was associated with an increased expression of the free fatty acid transporter CD36 and several accessory lipogenic enzymes, such as stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1) and long chain free fatty acid elongase. Studies using transgenic and knock-out mice showed that PXR is both necessary and sufficient for Cd36 activation. Promoter analyses revealed a DR-3-type of PXR-response element in the mouse Cd36 promoter, establishing Cd36 as a direct transcriptional target of PXR. The hepatic lipid accumulation and Cd36 induction were also seen in the hPXR “humanized” mice treated with the hPXR agonist rifampicin. The activation of PXR was also associated with an inhibition of pro-β-oxidative genes, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα) and thiolase, and an up-regulation of PPARγ, a positive regulator of CD36. The cross-regulation of CD36 by PXR and PPARγ suggests that this fatty acid transporter may function as a common target of orphan nuclear receptors in their regulation of lipid homeostasis.
Workability and Mechanical Performance of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Self-Compacting Concrete with Fly Ash

Steel fibers change the properties of hardened concrete significantly. However, addition of fibers to fresh concrete results in a loss of workability. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is an innovative concrete that is able to flow under its own weight, completely filling formwork and achieving full compaction without vibration. We have studied composites of SCC with steel fibers for further property enhancement. Water/cement ratio and cement, fly ash and superplasticizer contents were kept constant at 0.40, 400, 120 and 6 kg/m3 , respectively. The fiber amounts were 15, 30, 45 and 60 kg/m3. Slump flow, J-ring and V-funnel tests were conducted for evaluating the fluidity, filling ability and segregation risk of the fresh concretes. There were no problems with mixing or workability while the fiber distribution was uniform. Steel fibers can significantly enhance toughness of SCC and inhibit the initiation and growth of cracks.
The induction of specific pig skin graft tolerance by grafting with neonatal pig thymus in thymectomized mice.

BACKGROUND Xenogeneic donor-specific tolerance can be induced by transplanting fetal pig thymus and liver tissue (FP THY/LIV) to thymectomized (ATX), T/NK cell-depleted mice. By using neonatal pig tissue, we hoped to overcome two obstacles that arise with the use of fetal pig tissue: (1) the inability to keep fetal pigs alive after harvesting their thymic tissue, resulting in unavailability of their skin or other organs for grafting; and (2) the limited fetal thymic tissue yield, making application to large animals and humans more difficult. METHODS Neonatal pig thymus tissue (NP THY) was grafted into ATX, T/NK cell-depleted, 3Gy whole body-irradiated, originally immunocompetent B6 mice to evaluate the ability of NP THY to reconstitute mouse CD4+ T cells and to induce xenogeneic tolerance to donor pig skin grafts. RESULTS Repopulation of mouse CD4+ T cells in the peripheral tissues was observed in T/NK cell-depleted, ATX B6 mice that received NP THY with or without neonatal pig spleen (NP SPL), but not in those receiving NP SPL alone, indicating that pig thymus grafting was necessary and sufficient for mouse T cell recovery. Seven of nine NP THY/SPL-grafted ATX mice and two of six NP THY-grafted ATX mice that reconstituted >5% CD4+ cells in PBL accepted donor pig skin long-term without lymphocyte infiltration, whereas they rejected allogeneic BALB/c skin and third party pig skin grafts as rapidly as euthymic mice. CONCLUSIONS NP THY can support the development of mouse CD4+ T cells that are functional and specifically tolerant to donor pig antigens in ATX, T/NK cell-depleted, 3 Gy whole body-irradiated, originally immunocompetent B6 mice. Additional grafting of NP SPL with NP THY improves the efficiency of tolerance induction in this model.
Clinical outcomes of patent foramen ovale closure for paradoxical emboli without echocardiographic guidance

The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of device closure of patent foramen ovale (PFO) for presumed paradoxical emboli without echocardiographic guidance or balloon sizing and the clinical outcome after device closure. Closure of the PFO has been proposed as an alternative to anticoagulation in patients with presumed paradoxical emboli. At present, most centers perform device closure with transesophageal echocardiographic guidance and balloon sizing of the defect. Between May 1998 and April 2002, 92 consecutive patients underwent device closure for a PFO using fluoroscopic monitoring only. Procedural success and major complications were recorded. Follow‐up outcomes were recurrence rate and residual atrial shunting on transthoracic echocardiography. All patients (mean age, 45 ± 13 years; 52% male) had successful device deployment using either the CardioSeal (n = 78) and Amplatzer (n = 14) PFO occluders with no major complications. Mean procedure time and fluoroscopy time was 27 ± 13 and 6 ± 4 min, respectively. One patient had a residual shunt on echocardiography at 1 year. Cumulative event‐free survival for recurrence of paradoxical embolus at 1 year was 97.3% ± 1.8%. This study provides a basis for device closure of PFO becoming a safe, day‐case procedure, resulting in a low rate of residual shunting and recurrent thromboembolic events. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2004;62:519–525. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Excess mortality of mental disorder

Background We describe the increased risk of premature death from natural and from unnatural causes for the common mental disorders. Method With a Medline search (1966–1995) we found 152 English language reports on the mortality of mental disorder which met our inclusion criteria. From these reports, covering 27 mental disorder categories and eight treatment categories, we calculated standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all causes of death, all natural causes and all unnatural causes; and for most, SMRs for suicide, other violent causes and specific natural causes. Results Highest risks of premature death, from both natural and unnatural causes, are for substance abuse and eating disorders. Risk of death from unnatural causes is especially high for the functional disorders, particularly schizophrenia and major depression. Deaths from natural causes are markedly increased for organic mental disorders, mental retardation and epilepsy. Conclusion All mental disorders have an increased risk of premature death.
Informality, Innovation, and Aggregate Productivity Growth

This paper investigates how the ability to innovate affects firms' decisions to operate informally and the aggregate consequences of their sectoral choice. I embed a sectoral choice model, where firms choose to operate in the formal or informal economy, into a richer general equilibrium environment to analyze the aggregate effects of firm-level decisions in response to government taxation. I calibrate the model and conduct simulations to quantify the impacts on the aggregate economy. I find that a change in tax rates from 50% to 60% leads to a 20.9% reduction in the size of the formal sector. This change is accompanied by a 0.07 percentage point reduction in TFP growth per year. Given that countries like Mali, Mexico, and Sri Lanka impose total tax rates near 50%, these findings have significant and applicable policy implications across a broad range of lesser developed countries. Even at lower tax rates, for instance 10%, a 10% increase, decreases the size of the formal sector by more than 7.7%.
Individual Differences in Eyewitness Identification Accuracy between Sequential and Simultaneous Line-ups: Consequences for Police Practice and Jury Decisions

Background : Although previous research has indicated that sequential line-up procedures result in fewer mistaken identifications, this was found to be at the expense of accurate identifications more typical within simultaneous procedures. Hence, there remains a lack of agreement about which procedure is superior, and the interaction such procedures have with eyewitness confidence. The interaction between witness demographics and identification accuracy also remains unclear. Participants and procedure : The opportunistic sample, consisting of 60 people from the general population, was divided randomly into two experimental conditions: simultaneous (SIM) and sequential (SEQ). Participants in the sequential procedure observed 12 photographs, one at a time, deciding if they believed the suspect to be the person shown in the current photograph and unable to return to a given picture once they decided the individual shown was not the suspect described. Participants in the simultaneous condition were shown all 12 photographs concurrently and asked to determine which, if any, of the photographs was the suspect described. Results : No significant differences were found in identification accuracy between line-up procedures, but significant differences in confidence levels between the two line-up procedures were found. Additionally, analysis of demographic features showed previous line-up experience to be significantly associated with identification accuracy. Conclusions : The present research provides new insight into the interaction of eyewitness confidence between line-up techniques, offering an alternative explanation of witness confidence as well as procedural fairness. Evidence of practice effects increasing the accuracy of identification provides beneficial future implications for police line-up procedures and safer jury decisions, often reliant on identification evidence.
Factors Influencing Job Satisfaction among Healthcare Professionals at South Rand Hospital

Relationships have been reported between job satisfaction, productivity, absenteeism and turnover among healthcare employees and as such it affects employees’ organizational commitment and the quality of healthcare services. The aim of the study was to determine the factors influencing job satisfaction among healthcare professionals at South Rand Hospital. The study was conducted among 103 participants. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from the participants. Data was then analyzed using statistical software SPSS 17.0. The results showed a low level of job satisfaction. Almost 80% (79.6%) of participants were not satisfied with their jobs, and there was no association between job satisfaction and socio-demographic characteristics. Variables such as opportunity to develop, responsibility, patient care and staff relations were found to be significantly influencing job satisfaction and there was a significant positive medium association between job satisfaction and opportunity to develop, responsibility, patient care and staff relations for both clinical and clinical support staff. Satisfaction with one’s job can affect not only motivation at work but also career decisions, relationship with others and personal health. Those who are working in a profession that is extremely demanding and sometimes unpredictable can be susceptible to feelings of uncertainty and reduced job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is also an essential part of ensuring high quality care. Dissatisfied healthcare providers give poor quality, less efficient care. Interventions need to be implemented in order to improve the level of job satisfaction among healthcare professionals at South Rand Hospital.
Lipid-phase transitions of the strictly anaerobic bacteria Veillonella parvula and Anaerovibrio lipolytica

As a basis for physicochemical studies on the membranes of the strictly anaerobic bacteria Veillonella parvula, Anaerovibrio lipolytica, and Megasphaera elsdenii, the fatty acyl and alk-1-enyl moieties on the phosphoglycerides of these organism were characterized. Uncommon is the high proportion of a heptadecenoic acyl and alk-1-enyl moiety in these three lactate-fermenting bacteria. In contrast to V. parvula and A. lipolytica, M. elsdenii contains high amounts of branched-chain acyl and alk-1-enyl moieties. Freeze-etching electron microscopy showed that the lipids of the plasma membranes of V. parvula and A. lipolytica go from the liquid crystalline to the gel state upon lowering of the temperature, indicating that the membrane lipids are predominantly in the fluid state. No lipid-protein segregation could be detected in the plasma membrane of M. elsdenii. This can be explained by the abundance of branched-chain fatty acyl and alk-1-enyl residues in the membranes of this organism which may prevent lipid-protein segregation during the lipid-phase transition.
Intraspecific Allometry of Basal Metabolic Rate: Relations with Body Size, Temperature, Composition, and Circadian Phase in the Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus

The relationship between body size and basal metabolic rate (BMR) in homeo therms has been treated in the literature primarily by comparison between species of mammals or birds. This paper focuses on the intraindividual changes in BMR when body mass (W) varies with different maintenance regimens. BMR varied in individual kestrels in proportion to W1.67, which is considerably steeper than the mass exponents for homomorphic change (0.667; Heusner, 1984) for interspecific comparison among all birds (0.677) or raptors (0.678), for interindividual comparison of kestrels on ad libitum maintenance regimens (0.786), and for mass proportionality (1.00). The circadian range of telemetered core temperature also varied more strongly with intraindividual than with interspecific (Aschoff, 1981a) variation in mass. This was due to reduced nocturnal core temperature at low-maintenance regimens, which was, however, insufficient to account for the excessive reduction in BMR. Carcass analysis of eight birds sacrificed revealed a disproportionate reduction in heart and kidney lean mass at low-maintenance regimens. We surmise that variation in BMR primarily reflects variation in these metabolically highly active tissues. This may account for positive correlations found between heart, kidney, and BMR residuals relative to interspecific allometric prediction, and between α and p residuals, as expected on the basis of the constant excess of BMR during α above BMR during p (Aschoff & Pohl, 1970a).
Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy Associated with Doyne'S Familial Choroiditis: Treatment with Thermal Laser

Purpose To report the unusual occurrence of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in a patient with Doyne's familial honeycomb choroiditis (DFHC) and its course after laser treatment. DESIGN Interventional case report. METHODS Indocyanine green (ICG) angiography guided laser was performed on active polypoidal lesions. Results A 45-year-old man with a 15-year history of bilateral DFCH and a scarred macular choroidal neovascularization in the right eye (RE) was referred to us with exudative maculopathy in the left eye (LE). His best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/800 in the RE and 20/40 in the LE. ICG angiography revealed a picture that was characteristic for PCV in both eyes. ICG guided argon green laser was performed on the active parapapillary and perifoveal polypoidal lesions of the LE. Eight months after the laser photocoagulation treatment, the macular exudative lesions had subsided and the BCVA improved to 20/20. The favorable anatomic and functional results have remained stable over 3 years. CONCLUSIONS This is, to our knowledge, the first case of a PCV that occurred secondary to DFHC.
Histomorphometrical and clinical study of connective tissue around titanium dental implants with porous surfaces in a canine model

Connective tissue (CT) reactions and collagen fiber orientation were evaluated on titanium implants with porous surfaces made by a laser method. Three groups in which the diameters of pores were 10 ± 5 µm, 40 ± 5 µm, and 70 ± 5 µm were involved in this test, together with a machined group as control. A total of 24 implants were randomly placed in mandibles after 3 months of premolars and the first molar extraction in beagle dogs. All the implants were firmly anchored in the bone after 3-month insertion. Histological sections showed that the gingival tissue was attached tightly to implant surface and there was no significant difference in inflammatory cell invasion and probing depth among all groups (p > 0.05). Histomorphometric analysis demonstrated that no significant difference in total CT length was observed among four groups (p > 0.05), however, the gingival recession in the 40 ± 5 µm and 70 ± 5 µm porous groups was less than in the 10 ± 5 µm porous group and control group (p < 0.05). Collagen fibers at the inner zone of the CT around the 40 ± 5 µm and 70 ± 5 µm porous implants aligned mostly in an oblique orientation, while there was a mainly parallel fiber direction around the 10 ± 5 µm porous and control implants. It was noted that some fibroblasts and fibers in the 70 ± 5 µm porous group was inserted into the pores of implant surface, indicating that pores of a proper size on the implant surface could induce the insertion of CT and prevent gingival recession.
The relation between fungal propagules in indoor air and home characteristics

Background: Questionnaires are commonly used in epidemiologic studies to obtain information about house characteristics in order to predict the household aeroallergen exposure levels. However, the reliability of the predictions made with the questionnaires has not been evaluated. To address this issue, we compared objectively measured fungal propagules including the most frequently isolated mold genera (i.e., Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, etc.) in a large sample of homes and compared these measured values to the questionnaire‐determined household characteristics.
Photon molecules in atomic gases trapped near photonic crystal waveguides

Realizing systems that support robust, controlled interactions between individual photons is an exciting frontier of nonlinear optics. To this end, one approach that has emerged recently is to leverage atomic interactions to create strong and spatially non-local interactions between photons. In particular, effective interactions have been successfully created via interactions between atoms excited to Rydberg levels. Here, we investigate an alternative approach, in which atomic interactions arise via their common coupling to photonic crystal waveguides. This technique takes advantage of the ability to separately tailor the strength and range of interactions via the dispersion engineering of the structure itself, which can lead to qualitatively new types of phenomena. As an example, we discuss the formation of correlated transparency windows, in which photonic states of a certain number and shape selectively propagate through the system. Through this technique, we show in particular that one can create molecular-like potentials that lead to molecular bound states of photon pairs.
Forgetting and emotion regulation in mental health, anxiety and depression

ABSTRACT Does normal forgetting facilitate mental health and is forgetting impaired in affective disorders? This double-sided question may seem counterintuitive given the fact that forgetting is often associated with troubles in everyday life. However, forgetting does not only have destructive consequences, but also fulfils important functions. I consider the possibility that forgetting may function as a beneficial sorting mechanism which helps healthy people discard information that is undesirable and unpleasant. Thus, selective forgetting of negative memories may be part of emotion regulation, that is, people’s attempts to control when and how they experience and express emotions. Such forgetting may allow for a focus on positive memories and thereby help form a mnemonic basis for optimism as well as active and explorative approach behaviour. Also, I consider the possibility that anxiety and depression may in part result from and be maintained by a diminished capacity to forget. A reduced ability to selectively forget negative memories may be one reason that such disorders are characterised by painful emotions such as fear and sadness as well as defensive and withdrawn behaviour. Overall, I review and reflect on evidence for and against functional forgetting in mental health and dysfunctional forgetting in affective disorders.
Digital PDL Compensation in 3D Stokes Space

A Stokes space based technique for digital polarization-dependent losses (PDL) monitoring and compensation is proposed. The channel PDL monitoring is carried out with a resolution of 0.15 dB by computing the mean point of the signal samples represented in the three-dimensional Stokes space. The presented compensation technique is based on rotations and translations of the signal samples in the Stokes space, and provides a PDL compensation up to 2.5 dB. Error vector magnitude results show a gain of about 3 dB (assuming a PDL value equal to 1.5 dB) to a Stokes space based polarization demultiplexing technique without PDL compensation.
Immune Tolerance Therapy for Haemophilia A Patients with Acquired Factor VIII Alloantibodies: Comprehensive Analysis of Experience at a Single Institution

Summary Eleven children with severe haemophilia A associated with the IVS 22 inversion and acquired high titre neutralising antibodies to factor VIII underwent immune tolerance induction. HLA class I and high resolution class II type is detailed for each patient. A three phase approach to immune tolerance induction was used. During phase 1, which lasted a median of six weeks, patients received factor VIII 100 IU/kg twice daily. Phase 2 comprised a factor VIII dose reduction to 100 IU/kg once daily, and continued for a median duration of 14 weeks. Subsequently 10 of the 11 patients satisfied the criteria of absent factor VIII neutralising activity by the Bethesda method, and a factor VIII elimination half life of greater than 5 h, allowing progression to phase 3, a further factor VIII dose reduction to 50 IU/kg three times weekly. A model for dose reduction as factor VIII tolerance evolves, based on pharmacokinetic analysis, is described.
Probabilistic Yielding and Cyclic Behavior of Geomaterials Kallol Sett

In this paper, the novel concept of probabilistic yielding is used for 1–D cyclic simulation of the constitutive behavior of geomaterials. Fokker–Planck–Kolmogorov (FPK) equation based probabilistic elastic–plastic constitutive framework is applied for obtaining the complete probabilistic (probability density function) material response. Both perfectly plastic and hardening type material models are considered. It is shown that when uncertainties in material parameters are taken in consideration, even the simple, elastic–perfectly plastic model captures some of the important features of geomaterial behavior, for example, modulus reduction with cyclic strain, which, deterministically, is only possible with more advanced constitutive models. Further, it is also shown that the use of isotropic and kinematic hardening rules does not significantly improve the probabilistic material response.