Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Crithidia fasciculata mRNA Cycling Sequence Binding Proteins

ABSTRACT The Crithidia fasciculata cycling sequence binding protein (CSBP) binds with high specificity to sequence elements in several mRNAs that accumulate periodically during the cell cycle. Mutations in these sequence elements abolish both cycling of the mRNA and binding of CSBP. Two genes, CSBPA andCSBPB, encoding putative subunits of CSBP have been cloned and were found to be present in tandem on the same DNA molecule and to be closely related. CSBPA andCSBPB are predicted to encode proteins with sizes of 35.6 and 42.0 kDa, respectively. Both CSBPA and CSBPB proteins have a predicted coiled-coil domain near the N terminus and a novel histidine and cysteine motif near the C terminus. The latter motif is conserved in other trypanosomatid species. Gel sieving chromatography and glycerol gradient sedimentation results indicate that CSBP has a molecular mass in excess of 200 kDa and an extended structure. Recombinant CSBPA and CSBPB also bind specifically to the cycling sequence and together can be reconstituted to give an RNA gel shift similar to that of purified CSBP. Proteins in cell extracts bind to an RNA probe containing six copies of the cycling sequence. The RNA-protein complexes contain both CSBPA and CSBPB, and the binding activity cycles in near synchrony with target mRNA levels.CSBPA and CSBPB mRNA and protein levels show little variation throughout the cell cycle, suggesting that additional factors are involved in the cyclic binding to the cycling sequence elements.
Analysis of the distances covered and technical actions performed by professional tennis players during official matches

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to analyse the physical and technical performances of professional tennis players during official matches. The trajectories of eight players were obtained during matches, using an automatic tracking method. The distances covered and technical performances were analysed for the first and second sets. The athletes covered (mean ± standard deviation) a total of 1702.4 ± 448.2 m in the first set, 1457.6 ± 678.1 m in the second set and 3160.0 ± 880.1 in the entire match. No differences were found between the sets for the physical variables (lateral and forward displacements, distance covered per rally, per game and per set, and the percentage of time spent in each range of velocity). However, the distances covered by the athletes during the rallies in which they were serving (median = 5.2; interquartile range (IQR) = 6.7 m) were statistically smaller than when they were returning (median = 6.2; IQR = 7.7 m). Forehand ground stroke proficiency decreased from the first (mean ± standard deviation: 75.2 ± 4.11%) to the second set (mean ± standard deviation = 65.5 ± 14.3%). In conclusion, tennis players did not present reduced physical performance from the first to the second set.
DNA-directed in vitro synthesis and assembly of the form II D-ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides

A biochemical analysis of the in vitro assembly of the form II ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides after transcription and translation from cloned DNA is presented. The predominant enzymatically active oligomeric forms of the in vitro-synthesized and -assembled ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase are tetramers and hexamers. Assembly of the monomeric subunits to form active enzyme appears to be dependent on the presence of a minimum number of subunits in the cell extract. Assembly of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase also was observed when the protein-synthesizing extracts were prepared from cells which were partially derepressed for ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase expression.
Allometric Equations for Estimating Biomass and Carbon Stocks in the Temperate Forests of North-Western Mexico

This paper presents new equations for estimating above-ground biomass (AGB) and biomass components of seventeen forest species in the temperate forests of northwestern Mexico. A data set corresponding to 1336 destructively sampled oak and pine trees was used to fit the models. The generalized method of moments was used to simultaneously fit systems of equations for biomass components and AGB, to ensure additivity. In addition, the carbon content of each tree component was calculated by the dry combustion method, in a TOC analyser. The results of cross-validation indicated that the fitted equations accounted for on average 91%, 82%, 83% and 76% of the observed variance in stem wood and stem bark, branch and foliage biomass, respectively, whereas the total AGB equations explained on average 93% of the total observed variance in AGB. The inclusion of total height (h) or diameter at breast height2 × total height (d2h) as a predictor in the d-only based equations systems slightly improved estimates for stem wood, stem bark and total above-ground biomass, and greatly improved the estimates produced by the branch and foliage biomass equations. The predictive power of the proposed equations is higher than that of existing models for the study area. The fitted equations were used to estimate stand level AGB stocks from data on growing stock in 429 permanent sampling plots. Three machine-learning techniques were used to model the estimated stand level AGB and carbon contents; the selected models were used to map the AGB and carbon distributions in the study area, for which mean values of respectively 129.84 Mg ha−1 and 63.80 Mg ha−1 were obtained.
The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Korean hare (Lepus coreanus)

Abstract The complete mitogenome of the Korean hare (Lepus coreanus) was determined by the long and accurate polymerase chain reaction and primer-walking methods. The mitogenome of the Korean hare is 17,472 bp in length and contains sequences that encode 13 protein genes, 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs and a noncoding control region. The mitogenome is arranged in an identical order to that found in most other vertebrates. All mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, except for eight tRNA genes and the ND6 gene. The control region contains putative termination associated elements, conserved sequence blocks and short and long tandem repeats motifs.
Categorització semàntica de les parts del cos en català i en amazic: un estudi comparatiu

The thesis Categorització semàntica de les parts del cos en català i amazic: un estudi comparatiu, which has as its theoretical framework the cognitive semantics, is based on the observation that languages show different ways to interpret and classify entities and world events into categories. Moreover, they give different values, literal or metaphorical, to each one of the words that label these categories. This thesis focuses on the categorization and labeling study of body parts in Catalan and Berber (Riffian). By describing the categorization's similarities and differences of the internal and external body parts in both languages, we analyze the literal and metaphorical or metonymic value assigned to words labeling parts of the body from a lexical typology point of view. The objective of this thesis is to understand the cognitive processes that govern the categorization, and to set a series of generalizations applicable to different semantic fields. Besides, in analyzing the Riffian spoken in Catalonia, it has also been taken into account how the L2 can influence the L1 categorization, depending on the time of residence in the host country.
Perceived KM benefits and obstacles: A survey on government institutions

This paper investigates the perceived benefits and obstacles of Knowledge Management (KM) implementation in two government institutions in Malaysia. Subsequently, a comparison of findings between the institutions is made. A self reporting questionnaire was developed and disseminated to the government officers at various managerial levels. The responses provided by 393 officers highlight a list of potential KM benefits and challenges by which recommendations are made for effective KM and thus e-government implementation. This study is undertaken to narrow the gap that the potential benefits and obstacles of KM implementation in the public sector is less commonly addressed in the literature.
Stability of therapeutic alliance and its relationship to outcome in short-term inpatient psychiatric care

The relationship of therapeutic alliance to patient and treatment characteristics and to outcome, was studied in a sample of 106 patients consecutively admitted to a short-term psychiatric ward. The main finding was that a better therapeutic alliance at discharge was related to a greater improvement in symptoms during treatment. A multivariate model for prediction of outcome revealed a significant contribution from therapeutic alliance at discharge but not from alliance at admission or from changes in alliance during treatment. Improvement in alliance was seen in 41.5% of the patients, no change in 28.3% and a deterioration in 30.2%. Patients who improved their alliance did not differ from the others in background characteristics, but were more often subject to psychopharmocological treatment and were more often treated in a basic activation group. Patients with a stable poor alliance more often stated physically oriented target complaints at admission while patients with a stable satisfactory alliance more often presented interpersonally related complaints. It is concluded that further research in the field would benefit from a closer description of the change in the alliance and its relationship to treatment characteristics and outcome.
[Sense of smell in allergic rhinitis].

BACKGROUND Olfactory dysfunction is one of the major complaints in patients suffering from allergic rhinitis. Little is known about the onset of hyposmia in seasonal allergy. METHODS We performed two prospective studies to examine olfactory function in allergic rhinitis using an established (modified CCCRC) test for olfactory threshold, identification and discrimination. RESULTS In a pilot study the time-course of olfactory function in 14 patients with allergic rhinitis to grass pollen was examined at the beginning of the season. Olfactory function was evaluated birhinal on day 3, 7, 14, and 21 of the season. Preseasonally, all patients were normosmic. There was a significant decrease in threshold and identification between the third and fourteenth day of the season, resulting in a moderate hyposmia in the mean. Hyposmia was not correlated to subjective symptom of nasal blockage. Therefore, a follow-up study was performed on 17 patients and a control group with a similar study design including measurements of nasal volume flow (rhinomanometry) and an inflammatory cell activation marker (ECP) in nasal secretions. The time-course of the olfactory changes was much better correlated to the inflammatory measure than to nasal volume flow. CONCLUSIONS Patients with allergic rhinitis develop a significant olfactory dysfunction under allergen exposition. Inflammatory dysfunction of the olfactory epithelium seems to be more important than respiratory dysfunction in the pathomechanism of allergic hyposmia.
DUB-3, a Cytokine-inducible Deubiquitinating Enzyme That Blocks Proliferation*

Previous studies have identified the DUB family of cytokine-regulated murine deubiquitinating enzymes, which play a role in the control of cell proliferation and survival. Through data base analyses and cloning, we have identified a human cDNA (DUB-3) that shows significant homology to the known murine DUB family members. Northern blotting has shown expression of this gene in a number of tissues including brain, liver, and muscle, with two transcripts being apparent (1.6 and 1.7 kb). In addition, expression was observed in cell lines including those derived from a number of hematopoietic tumors such as the Burkitt's lymphoma cell line RAJI. We have also demonstrated that DUB-3, which was shown to be an active deubiquitinating enzyme, is induced in response to interleukin-4 and interleukin-6 stimulation. Finally, we have demonstrated that constitutive expression of DUB-3 blocks proliferation and can initiate apoptosis in both IL-3-dependent Ba/F3 cells and NIH3T3 fibroblasts. These findings suggest that human DUB-3, like the murine DUB family members, is transiently induced in response to cytokines and can, when constitutively expressed, block growth factor-dependent proliferation.
Distinct Genetic and Epigenetic Changes in Medullary Breast Cancer

Genetic instability resulting in chromosome aneuploidy or mismatch repair defi ciency characterizes cancer. Medullary carcinoma (MC) of the breast is a specific form of breast cancer with unique clinical, epidemiologic, and prognostic features, sug gesting distinctive tumorigenic pathways. To investigate the nature of the genetic changes associated with MC we analyzed a series of 22 tumors. Chromosomal im balances were assessed by comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency tested for through assessment of microsatellite instability (MSI) and expression of MLH1 and MSH2 genes. MMR deficiency was detected in only a small proportion of cases. The chromosomal copy number changes showed some similarities to BRCAl-associated tumors. A high level of BRCA1 promoter hy permethylation was detected, suggesting a possible role of this gene in MC develop ment
An Approach to Gesture Recognition with Skeletal Data Using Dynamic Time Warping and Nearest Neighbour Classifier

Gestures are natural means of communication between humans, and therefore their application would benefit to many fields where usage of typical input devices, such as keyboards or joysticks is cumbersome or unpractical (e.g., in noisy environment). Recently, together with emergence of new cameras that allow obtaining not only colour images of observed scene, but also offer the software developer rich information on the number of seen humans and, what is most interesting, 3D positions of their body parts, practical applications using body gestures have become more popular. Such information is presented in a form of skeletal data. In this paper, an approach to gesture recognition based on skeletal data using nearest neighbour classifier with dynamic time warping is presented. Since similar approaches are widely used in the literature, a few practical improvements that led to better recognition results are proposed. The approach is extensively evaluated on three publicly available gesture datasets and compared with state-of-the-art classifiers. For some gesture datasets, the proposed approach outperformed its competitors in terms of recognition rate and time of recognition.
Longitudinal Assessment of Mental Disorders, Smoking, and Hazardous Drinking Among a Population-Based Cohort of US Service Members

Objectives: Combat exposure is known to increase the risk for mental disorders; however, less is known about the temporal relationship between mental disorders and alcohol misuse or smoking. To better understand these interrelationships, this study investigated mental disorders in association with hazardous drinking and cigarette smoking. Methods: Using data from a large population-based military cohort, standardized instruments were used to screen for posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, panic, and other anxiety syndromes. Self-reported use of cigarettes and hazardous drinking was also assessed. Subjects were classified as having “new-onset,” “persistent,” or “resolved” mental disorders and health risk behaviors on the basis of screening results from baseline to follow-up (n = 50,028). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to investigate temporal patterns between the development of mental disorders and the uptake of smoking or hazardous drinking. Results: The strongest associations of new-onset mental disorders were among those who newly reported smoking or hazardous drinking (odds ratio [OR], 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28-2.59 and OR, 2.49; 95% CI, 2.15-2.89, respectively), even after adjustment for combat deployment experience. In addition, persistent smokers and hazardous drinkers had elevated odds for developing a mental disorder at follow-up. Conclusions: This study demonstrates a positive association between the onset of mental disorders with the uptake of smoking and hazardous drinking and the likelihood that multiple temporal sequence patterns exist to explain the relationship between mental disorders and hazardous drinking and smoking. Clinical approaches to mitigate deployment-related mental disorders should include alcohol and tobacco-related assessments and interventions.
Clinical significance of hepatitis G virus infection in patients on long‐term haemodialysis

Infection with the newly discovered hepatitis G virus (HGV) was analysed in 163 patients on long‐term haemodialysis to clarify its prevalence and clinical significance. Hepatitis G virus RNA in serum was measured by polymerase chain reaction with primers corresponding to the putative non‐structural 5’ region. Of the 163 patients, three (1.8%) were positive for hepatitis B surface antigen, 40 (24.5%) were positive for hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐RNA and 16 (9.8%) were positive for HGV‐RNA. Five of the 16 patients with HGV‐RNA were also positive for HCV‐RNA. Patients with HCV and HGV coinfection had undergone a longer duration of haemodialysis (P=0.001) and had higher units of transfusion (P=0.031) compared with those without hepatitis virus infection. Transfusion history was significantly higher (P=0.039) in patients with only HGV infection than in those without hepatitis virus infection. Hepatitis C virus RNA concentration was higher (P=0.032) in patients with HCV and HGV coinfection than in those with HCV infection only, but alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were similar between these two groups. In conclusion, about 10% of patients on haemodialysis were infected with HGV and the infection was closely associated with transfusion history.
Modern imaging methods versus clinical assessment in the evaluation of hospital in-patients with suspected pancreatic disease

OBJECTIVE:Various modern imaging procedures such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), computed tomography (CT), and endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) have been shown to be highly accurate in the diagnosis of specific disorders of the pancreas. However, prior information often causes bias in the interpretation of these results. Little information is available concerning the value of these examinations in the primary and differential diagnosis of suspected pancreatic disease—particularly in comparison with clinical evaluation, including laboratory tests and transabdominal ultrasound (TUS). METHODS:Clinical and imaging information (EUS, ERCP, and CT) was collected for 184 inpatients who were referred over a 5-yr period for evaluation of suspected pancreatic disease. On the basis of patient history, laboratory tests, and the results of routine TUS, one gastroenterologist, who was unaware of any of the other procedures or the final diagnosis, made a presumptive clinical diagnosis. CT and ERCP images and EUS videotapes were then analyzed by three different and independent examiners, who had the same clinical information except for the TUS results, but were completely blinded to the results of the other examinations and the patients’ diagnoses. The final diagnoses were obtained by surgery, histology, and cytology, plus a follow-up of at least 1 yr (mean 35 months) in all noncancer cases.RESULTS:The final diagnoses were: normal pancreas (n = 36), chronic pancreatitis without a focal inflammatory mass (n = 53) or with a focal inflammatory mass (n = 18), and pancreatic malignancy (n = 77). Clinical evaluation, including ultrasonography, achieved a sensitivity for pancreatic disease of 94% but a specificity of only 35%. The figures for the sensitivity and specificity of the three imaging procedures were 93% and 94%, respectively, for EUS; 89% and 92% for ERCP; and 91% and 78% for CT (p < 0.05 for the specificity of clinical assessment vs all three imaging tests, p > 0.05 for comparison of the three imaging procedures). In the differential diagnosis between cancer and chronic pancreatitis as well as between malignant and inflammatory tumors, there was no difference among clinical assessment and the three imaging tests.CONCLUSIONS:In a group of patients with a high suspicion of pancreatic disease, little additional sensitivity in the diagnosis of pancreatic disease is provided by sophisticated imaging procedures such as EUS, ERCP, and CT, in comparison with clinical assessment including laboratory values and TUS. However, the specificity can be substantially improved. To confirm the diagnosis, one of the three examinations is needed, depending on the suspected disease and local expertise. The imaging procedures should be performed in a stepwise fashion for specific purposes, such as exclusion of pancreatic disease and the planning of treatment in chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
Patient Empowerment and the Traditional Medical Model: A case of irreconcilable differences?

The results of the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) have engendered an intensive review of our approach to diabetes care. With major changes in diabetes care in the offing, this is an appropriate time to review one's philosophy of diabetes care in an effort to determine whether our approach is suited to the unique requirements of this lifelong self-managed disease. Although the DCCT represents a monumental scientific achievement, it is not altogether clear how the results of this trial should be translated into improved diabetes care (1-4). As Dr. Skyler pointed out at this year's American Diabetes Association meeting (5), there are potential risks (e.g., micro vascular complications that could have been delayed or prevented) in failing to recommend intensive therapy for patients for whom it would be appropriate, as well as potential risks (e.g., severe episodes of hypoglycemia and the concomitant risk of injury) of implementing intensive therapy in patients who may not be suitable candidates. Dr. Skyler's suggested solution to the aforementioned dilemma was to have patients participate in a careful informed consent process, during which they would be helped to consider both the costs and benefits of engaging in intensive therapy. This proposed solution is a clear indication that the patient must be viewed as a responsible and active decision maker in diabetes care in the 1990s and beyond.
Statistics of the binary quantizer error in single-loop sigma-delta modulation with white Gaussian input

Representations and statistical properties of the process e¯ defined by e¯n+1=λ(e¯n+ξn ), are given. Here λ(u):=u-b·sign(u)+m and {ξn}n=0+∞ is Gaussian white noise. The process e¯ represents the binary quantizer error in a model for single-loop sigma-delta modulation. The innovations variables are found and the existence and uniqueness of an invariant probability measure, ergodicity properties, as well as the existence of the exponential moment with respect to the invariant probability are proved using Markov process theory. We consider also e¯ as a random perturbation, for small values of the variance of ξn, Of the orbits of sn+1=λ(sn). Here sn has the uniform invariant distribution on the interval [m-h, m+b]. Analytical approximations to the structure of the power spectrum of e¯ are obtained using a linear prediction in terms of the innovations variables and the perturbation approach