Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Performance Management Relate to Good Governance? A Study of Its Relationship with Citizens’ Satisfaction with and Trust in Israeli Local Government

ABSTRACT Since the late 1980s, performance management has become a bon ton in central and local government research and practice. Its emergence is largely a result of neo-liberal ideas and the reforms of New Public Management. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between performance management at the local level and citizens’ satisfaction with and trust in government. By using data collected by Israeli local authorities over recent years, several questions were answered. Have years of performance management initiatives been effective in terms of good governance? What relationship do they have with citizens as service recipients? What are the implications of this experience for future reforms in public administration? Three data sets were used concerning (1) citizens’ satisfaction with and trust in government, (2) the experiences of senior local government officers with performance management initiatives, and (3) the objective characteristics of the local government authorities. Results indicate that performance management is associated with higher levels of citizens’ trust in and satisfaction with local government. Furthermore, the community’s socioeconomic status moderates the mediated relationship between performance management and the satisfaction and trust of citizens. Implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions for future studies are recommended.
Qualitative and Quantitative Differences in Peptides Bound to HLA-B27 in the Presence of Mouse versus Human Tapasin Define a Role for Tapasin as a Size-Dependent Peptide Editor1

Tapasin (Tpn) is a chaperone of the endoplasmic reticulum involved in peptide loading to MHC class I proteins. The influence of mouse Tpn (mTpn) on the HLA-B*2705-bound peptide repertoire was analyzed to characterize the species specificity of this chaperone. B*2705 was expressed on Tpn-deficient human 721.220 cells cotransfected with human (hTpn) or mTpn. The heterodimer to β2-microglobulin-free H chain ratio on the cell surface was reduced with mTpn, suggesting lower B*2705 stability. The B*2705-bound peptide repertoires loaded with hTpn or mTpn shared 94–97% identity, although significant differences in peptide amount were observed in 16–17% of the shared ligands. About 3–6% of peptides were bound only with either hTpn or mTpn. Nonamers differentially bound with mTpn had less suitable anchor residues and bound B*2705 less efficiently in vitro than those loaded only with hTpn or shared nonamers. Decamers showed a different pattern: those found only with mTpn had similarly suitable residues as shared decamers and bound B*2705 with high efficiency. Peptides differentially presented by B*2705 on human or mouse cells showed an analogous pattern of residue suitability, suggesting that the effect of mTpn on B*2705 loading is comparable in both cell types. Thus, mTpn has quantitative and qualitative effects on the B*2705-bound peptide repertoire, impairing presentation of some suitable ligands and allowing others with suboptimal anchor residues and lower affinity to be presented. Our results favor a size-dependent peptide editing role of Tpn for HLA-B*2705 that is species-dependent and suboptimally performed, at least for nonamers, by mTpn.
Analysis of Students’ Attitude Towards the Use of Information and Communication Technology in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

This paper is on Students’ attitude towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. 180 science students from three colleges of education, 240 science and engineering students from three polytechnics and 160 science and engineering students from two universities constituted the sample. A 20 items attitudinal questionnaire on Information and Communication Technology (AQICT) was developed and administered to respondents. Data obtained were subjected to mean, t-test and ANOVA statistical analysis. Findings showed that students exhibited negative attitude towards some ICT. The study also revealed that student’s gender difference had no influence on their attitude towards ICT while school nature influence student’s attitude towards ICT. It was suggested that, computer literacy courses be introduced to all science and engineering students in Nigerian tertiary institutions if the nation need to forge ahead technologically.
Regulation of CXCR4 Receptor Dimerization by the Chemokine SDF-1α and the HIV-1 Coat Protein gp120: A Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Study

Both the chemokine SDF-1α and the human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) coat protein gp120 can bind to CXCR4 chemokine receptors but with different signaling consequences. To understand the molecular basis for these differences, we tagged the rat CXCR4 receptor with enhanced cyan (ECFP) and yellow (EYFP) derivatives of the green fluorescent protein and investigated CXCR4 receptor dimerization in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-tsA201 cells using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Elevated FRET was detected under basal conditions from EYFP-CXCR4 and ECFP-CXCR4 receptor-transfected cells indicating a high level of CXCR4 receptor dimerization. In comparison, EYFP-CXCR4 and ECFP-μ-opioid receptor-cotransfected cells displayed a much lower FRET signal. The FRET signal resulting from EYFP-CXCR4- and ECFP-CXCR4-expressing cells could be attenuated by coexpressing nontagged CXCR4 receptors suggesting competition with fluorophore-tagged receptors in the membrane. Nontagged μ-opioid, κ-opioid, and muscarinic receptors also decreased the FRET between the tagged CXCR4 receptor pairs but to a lesser extent. Application of the CXCR4 receptor agonist SDF-1α (50 nM) further increased the FRET signal from tagged CXCR4 receptors, an effect that was inhibited by the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100. SDF-1α had no effect when EYFP-CXCR4 and ECFP-μ-opioid receptors were coexpressed. The effect of gp120IIIB on CXCR4 FRET was dependent on the coexpression of human CD4 (hCD4) when it increased the FRET signal, and this was decreased by AMD3100 pretreatment. FRET analysis of tagged hCD4 constructs demonstrated that there was significant association of hCD4 and CXCR4, as well as hCD4 dimerization. These data suggest that CXCR4 dimerization is involved in SDF-1α- and gp120-induced signaling events.
Military and Mental Health Correlates of Unemployment in a National Sample of Women Veterans

Background:The unemployment rate is currently higher among women Veterans than among male Veterans and civilian women. Employment is a key social determinant of health, with unemployment being strongly associated with adverse health. Objective:To identify military-related and health-related characteristics associated with unemployment in women Veterans. Research Design and Subjects:Secondary analysis of workforce participants (n=1605) in the National Survey of Women Veterans telephone survey. Measures:Demographics, mental health conditions, health care utilization, and military experiences and effects. Unemployment was defined as being in the labor force but unemployed and looking for work. Analysis:The &khgr;2 analyses to identify characteristics of unemployed women Veterans; logistic regression to identify independent factors associated with unemployment. Results:Ten percent of women Veterans were unemployed. Independent correlates of unemployment were screening positive for depression [odds ratio (OR)=4.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8–12.4], military service during wartime (OR=2.9; 95%, CI 1.1–7.3), and service in the regular military (vs. in the National Guards/Reserves only) (OR=6.8; 95% CI, 2.2–20.5). Two postactive duty perceptions related to not being respected and understood as a Veteran were each independently associated with unemployment. Conclusions:Whether depression underlies unemployment, is exacerbated by unemployment, or both, it is critical to identify and treat depression among women Veterans, and also to investigate women Veterans’ experiences and identities in civilian life. Community-based employers may need education regarding women Veterans’ unique histories and strengths. Women who served in the regular military and during wartime may benefit from job assistance before and after they leave the military. Gender-specific adaptation of employment services may be warranted.
Effects of Alien Plants on Insect Abundance and Biomass: a Food‐Web Approach

Abstract: The replacement of native plants by alien species is likely to affect other trophic levels, particularly phytophagous insects. Nevertheless, the effect of alien plants on insect biomass has not yet been quantified. Given their critical role in transferring energy from plants to higher trophic levels, if alien plants do affect insect biomass, this could have far‐reaching consequences for community structure. We used 35 food webs to evaluate the impacts of alien plants on insect productivity in a native forest in the Azores. Our food webs quantified plants, insect herbivores, and their parasitoids, which allowed us to test the effects of alien plants on species richness and evenness, insect abundance, insect biomass, and food‐web structure. Species richness of plants and insects, along with plant species evenness, declined as the level of plant invasion increased. Nevertheless, none of the 4 quantitative food‐web descriptors (number of links, link density, connectance, and interaction evenness) varied significantly with plant invasion independent of the size of the food web. Overall, insect abundance was not significantly affected by alien plants, but insect biomass was significantly reduced. This effect was due to the replacement of large insects on native plants with small insects on alien plants. Furthermore, the impact of alien plants was sufficiently severe to invert the otherwise expected pattern of species‐richness decline with increased elevation. We predict a decrease in insect productivity by over 67% if conservation efforts fail to halt the invasion of alien plants in the Azores.
The Requirement for Nucleoporin NUP153 during Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection Is Determined by the Viral Capsid

ABSTRACT Lentiviruses likely infect nondividing cells by commandeering host nuclear transport factors to facilitate the passage of their preintegration complexes (PICs) through nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) within nuclear envelopes. Genome-wide small interfering RNA screens previously identified karyopherin β transportin-3 (TNPO3) and NPC component nucleoporin 153 (NUP153) as being important for infection by human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The knockdown of either protein significantly inhibited HIV-1 infectivity, while infection by the gammaretrovirus Moloney murine leukemia virus (MLV) was unaffected. Here, we establish that primate lentiviruses are particularly sensitive to NUP153 knockdown and investigate HIV-1-encoded elements that contribute to this dependency. Mutants lacking functional Vpr or the central DNA flap remained sensitive to NUP153 depletion, while MLV/HIV-1 chimera viruses carrying MLV matrix, capsid, or integrase became less sensitive when the latter two elements were substituted. Two capsid missense mutant viruses, N74D and P90A, were largely insensitive to NUP153 depletion, as was wild-type HIV-1 when cyclophilin A was depleted simultaneously or when infection was conducted in the presence of cyclosporine A. The codepletion of NUP153 and TNPO3 yielded synergistic effects that outweighed those calculated based on individual knockdowns, indicating potential interdependent roles for these factors during HIV-1 infection. Quantitative PCR revealed normal levels of late reverse transcripts, a moderate reduction of 2-long terminal repeat (2-LTR) circles, and a relatively large reduction in integrated proviruses upon NUP153 knockdown. These results suggest that capsid, likely by the qualities of its uncoating, determines whether HIV-1 requires cellular NUP153 for PIC nuclear import.
Hydrocolloid dressing in preventing nasal trauma secondary to nasal continuous positive airway pressure in preterm infants.

BACKGROUND Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) with nasal devices (nCPAP) is widely used in the respiratory management of newborns. The present study aimed to compare the incidence of nasal trauma secondary to nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) protected with or without hydrocolloid dressing in preterm infants. METHODS This prospective controlled study was performed in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Children's Hospital of Hunan Province from March 1, 2010 to June 31, 2010. A total of 65 infants, 46 males and 19 females, were recruited in this study. Their average gestational age was 32.6 weeks (range 28-37 weeks). The infants were randomly divided into clinical trial group (group A, n=33) and control group (group B, n=32). Paraffin oil was smeared around the nostrils before inserting prongs in group B; the infants in group A were covered on the infant's nostrils surface with hydrocolloid dressing (hydrocolloid dressing, 1.8 mm thick, 90029T, 3M Company, Minnesota, USA) with a size of 2-3 cm cutting two holes adapted to the nose and nostrils. The nostrils of those infants were inspected daily during nCPAP support until they were weaned off nCPAP. RESULTS Nine infants (2 in group A and 7 in group B) developed nasal injury during nCPAP support. The Chi-square test revealed that there was a statistically significant difference (P=0.01) in the incidence of nasal injury between groups A and B. CONCLUSION The study demonstrated that hydrocolloid dressing significantly decreased the incidence and the severity of nasal injury.
Self-management of oral anticoagulation.

BACKGROUND Properly dosed oral anticoagulation effectively prevents thromboembolic events. It is unclear whether adult patients with an indication for long-term oral anticoagulation can benefit from self-management in terms of patient-oriented endpoints and improved coagulation values. METHOD We selectively searched the Medline database for high-quality systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials of self-measurement or self-management of oral anticoagulation, compared to standard treatment. RESULTS We identified eight review articles based on overlapping sets of ran - domized clinical trials. In all of these systematic reviews, patients who performed self-measurement or self-management had a 40% to 50% lower rate of thromboembolic events; in six of them, the mortality was also significantly lower, by 30% to 50%. Subgroup analysis revealed that these effects were present exclusively in patients who performed self-management, and not in those who only performed self-measurement. None of the review articles revealed any difference in the frequency of severe hemorrhagic events. Quality of life and patient satisfaction were rated in five reviews, which, however, used different instruments, with the result that no clear conclusions could be drawn. All of the review articles documented an improvement in coagulation values, but information on statistical significance was mostly lacking. CONCLUSION Adults with an indication for long-term oral anticoagulation benefit from self-management, as compared to standard treatment with management of dosing by a physician. A limitation of this study is that the multiple review articles on which it is based were largely analyses of the same group of clinical trials.
Anatomic Characteristics of Extensions of Atrial Myocardium into the Pulmonary Veins in Subjects With and Without Atrial Fibrillation

Myocardial extensions around pulmonary veins (PVs) have been recognized as the most important sites of origin for arrhythmogenic foci that trigger atrial fibrillation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of atrial myocardium in pulmonary veins from subjects with and without a history of atrial fibrillation. A total number of 43 human hearts obtained at autopsy were studied (27 men, 16 women, mean age 67 ± 8 years). Sixteen subjects (group 1) had a history of atrial fibrillation (11 men, mean age 66 ± 10 years). The remaining 27 subjects (group 2) were without arrhythmia (16 men, mean age 68 ± 8 years). The presence and morphology of the myocardial extensions were studied microscopically. Of the total number of 172 PVs evaluated, myocardial extensions were revealed in 117 (68%) cases. Myocardial fibers were arranged in a variable manner with the most prevailing circular pattern. Continuous extensions were present in 74, while a discontinuous pattern was revealed in 29 PVs. Maximum extension of the sleeves reached 48 mm (mean 7.7–10 mm) and their maximum thickness was 5 mm. Myocardial extensions were longer and thicker in the upper PVs from subjects with previous atrial fibrillation. In conclusion, a significant interindividual variability in the presence, arrangement, and thickness of atrial myocardial sleeves into PVs was revealed. Patients with a history of atrial fibrillation were found to have longer and thicker myocardial extensions into the upper PVs, and this finding may have implications for the catheter ablation technique. (PACE 2003; 26:1348–1355)
HIV/AIDS and family support systems: A situation analysis of people living with HIV/AIDS in Lagos State

Current statistics about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Nigeria do not reveal the broader social and economic impacts of the disease on the family. The study therefore primarily aimed to address the socio-economic effects of HIV infection on individuals and their families. The study was carried out in Lagos State. In-depth interviews were employed to collect information from 188 people living with HIV/AIDS through support groups in the state, while four focus group discussions were conducted to elicit information from people affected by AIDS about the socio-economic impacts of HIV/AIDS on families in Nigeria. From the survey, among people living with HIV/AIDS, 66% of females and males were in the age group 21–40 years, while 10% were older people above 60 years of age. Findings revealed that as HIV/AIDS strikes at parents, grand parents are assuming responsibility for bringing up the children of the infected persons and the orphans of those killed by the virus. It was striking that some of the older caregivers could not meet the requirement of these children. They are often forced to work more than they would have, or borrow in order to cope with the needs of these extra mouths. Some of the infected people have sold their properties to enable them to cope with the economic effects of the virus, while their children have had to drop out of school, since they could not afford the school fees and other related expenses. It was suggested that PLWHA should be economically empowered with adequate medical treatment, in order to reduce the impact of the disease on the family.
Downregulation of MSP58 inhibits growth of human colorectal cancer cells via regulation of the cyclin D1–cyclin‐dependent kinase 4–p21 pathway

We have investigated the expression and role of the 58‐kDa microspherule protein (MSP58) in colorectal carcinoma (CRC). By immuhistochemistry and immunofluorescence, we observed MSP58 in the nucleus and cytoplasm of CRC cells, and found MSP58 to be present in CRC specimens more often than in adjacent non‐tumor tissues (92.5 vs 36.3%, P < 0.01). The average staining score in adjacent non‐tumor tissues was significantly lower than in CRC tissues (2.05 ± 1.13 vs 5.23 ± 1.38, P < 0.01). Moreover, MSP58 mRNA and protein appeared to be upregulated in six fresh CRC samples compared to their adjacent non‐cancerous tissues. MSP58 expression was also detected in the human CRC‐derived cell lines LoVo, CoLo205, HCT116, HT‐29, SW620, and SW480. Downregulation of MSP58 inhibited in vitro growth and attenuated tumor growth in animal models by induction of cell cycle arrest, and was associated with reduced levels of cyclin D1, cyclin‐dependent kinase 4, phosphorylation‐Rb (p‐Rb), p21, and Retino blastoma (Rb) proteins. These results indicated that MSP58 might play an important role in the carcinogenesis of CRC via regulation of the cyclin D1–cyclin‐dependent kinase 4–p21 pathway. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 1585–1590)
Risk of hyperkalemia associated with selective COX‐2 inhibitors

Selective cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) inhibitors have been linked to cardiac death. The mechanism for this adverse effect appears to be by ischemic insult; however another mechanism could involve hyperkalemia. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of selective COX‐2 inhibitors and non‐selective nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on serum potassium concentration and the electrocardiogram.
The acquisition of relative clauses in Russian and Polish in monolingual and bilingual children

In this paper, we present the results on (re)production of relative clauses in a sentence repetition task by Russian and Polish monolingual and bilingual children (3;6–6;6 years). Russian and Polish both involve overt case marking in the relative clause formation, but the case marking in Polish is more regular and transparent. Our results suggest that, when case marking is the only disambiguating cue, its transparency and regularity contributes to a significantly better performance. This explains why the Polish children, both monolingual and bilingual, were more successful in reproduction of subject and object relatives compared to their Russian peers.
Outcomes Following Arthrodesis for Atlanto-Axial Osteoarthritis

Study Design. Retrospective analysis. Objective. We set out to evaluate the radiographic and patient-reported outcomes following C1-C2 arthrodesis for atlantoaxial osteoarthritis (AAOA) using modern instrumentation and techniques. Summary of Background Data. Few studies have evaluated outcomes following C1-C2 arthrodesis for AAOA using modern surgical fixation techniques. Methods. Retrospective analysis of all patients following C1-C2 arthrodesis with recalcitrant AAOA from a single center, single surgeon from 2002 to 2012. Preoperative, immediate and final follow-up postoperative radiographic images were evaluated. Patient-reported outcomes scores were assessed preoperative, 1-year, and final postoperative follow-up. Results. We found a total of 14 patients (13 female, 1 male) with average follow-up of 2.96 ± 2.26 years and mean age at surgery of 71.8 ± 9.3 years old. The most common construct was posterior C1-C2 bilateral screw-rod construct (SRC) (n = 9), and there were 3 patients with transarticular screw (TAS) constructs, and 2 patients with hybrid fixation (unilateral SRC and contralateral TAS). Mean change from baseline to final follow-up for Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NRS) was −4.7 ± 2.1, and Neck Disability Index (NDI) was −21.0 ± 13.6, with 11 (78.6%) patients demonstrated a substantial clinical benefit (change in NDI ≥ 10). There were no differences from baseline to all follow-up time points for SF-12 Physical and Mental Component Scores. All patients had evidence of solid C1-C2 arthrodesis and stable fixation at final follow-up, with no significant change in subaxial sagittal alignment. There were no perioperative or postoperative complications. Conclusion. We report one of the largest series evaluating patient-reported outcomes in patients following arthrodesis for AAOA using modern C1-C2 fixation techniques. Our study found C1-C2 arthrodesis for AAOA to be safe and effective, with a significant improvement in patient-reported pain and neck disability and most patients reporting substantial clinical benefit. Level of Evidence: 4