Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Money, Income, and Causality: An Examination for the Turkish Economy

Abstract This paper examines the direction of causality between money and income for the Turkish economy using quarterly data over the period of 1987 to 2011. A vector autoregression model consisting of the real gross domestic product, the broad money supply, the three months deposit rate as short-term interest rate, and the consumer price index is constructed to implement causality tests. Also, a leveraged bootstrapped simulation technique is used when conducting causality tests in order to make the results more robust. The empirical results suggest a bidirectional causation between the two variables and that monetary aggregates may provide relevant information in the implementation of monetary policy.
The α‐like RNA polymerase II core subunit 3 (RPB3) is involved in tissue‐specific transcription and muscle differentiation via interaction with the myogenic factor myogenin

RNA polymerase II core subunit 3 (RPB3) is an α‐like core subunit of RNA polymerase II (pol II). It is selectively down‐regulated upon treatment with doxorubicin (dox). Due to the failure of skeletal muscle cells to differentiate when exposed to dox, we hypothesized that RPB3 is involved in muscle differentiation. To this end, we have isolated human muscle RPB3interacting proteins by using yeast two‐hybrid screening. It is of interest that an interaction between RPB3 and the myogenic transcription factor myogenin was identified. This interaction involves a specific region of RPB3 protein that is not homologous to the prokaryotic α subunit. Although RPB3 contacts the basic helix‐loop‐helix (HLH) region of myogenin, it does not bind other HLH myogenic factors such as MyoD, Myf5, and MRF4. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicate that myogenin contacts the pol II complex and that the RPB3 subunit is responsible for this interaction. We show that RPB3 expression is regulated during muscle differentiation. Exogenous expression of RPB3 slightly promotes myogenin transactivation activity and muscle differentiation, whereas the region of RPB3 that contacts myogenin, when used as a dominant negative molecule (Sud), counteracts these effects. These results indicate for the first time that the RPB3 pol II subunit is involved in the regulation of tissue‐specific transcription.
Haemorheology in Gaucher disease

Abstract: In Gaucher disease, a deficiency of glucocerebrosidase results in the accumulation of glucocerebroside within the lysosomes of the monocyte–macrophage system. Prior to the availability of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), splenectomy was often indicated for hypersplenism. Haemorheological abnormalities could be expected in view of the anaemia and abnormal lipid metabolism in these patients and the role of the spleen in controlling erythrocyte quality. Objectives: To investigate the effect of Gaucher disease on blood and plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation and erythrocyte deformability, and to determine whether observed rheological differences could be attributed to splenectomy. Methods: Haematological and haemorheological measurements were made on blood collected from 26 spleen‐intact patients with Gaucher disease, 16 splenectomised patients with Gaucher disease, 6 otherwise healthy asplenic non‐Gaucher disease subjects and 15 healthy controls. Results: No haemorheological differences could be demonstrated between spleen‐intact patients with Gaucher disease and the control group. Compared to controls, both asplenic Gaucher disease and asplenic non‐Gaucher disease study groups had a reduced MCHC (P = 0.003 and 0.005, respectively) and increased whole blood viscosity at 45% haematocrit (Hct), relative viscosity and red cell aggregation index – all measured at low shear (P < 0.05 for all). Additionally, asplenic patients with Gaucher disease alone showed an increased MCV (P = 0.006), an increased whole blood viscosity at 45% Hct measured at high shear (P = 0.019), and a reduced relative filtration rate (P = 0.0001), compared to controls. Conclusion: These observations demonstrate a direct and measurable haemorheological abnormality in Gaucher disease only revealed when there is no functioning spleen to control erythrocyte quality.
Optimal control during feedback failure

The problem of controlling a perturbed open loop system so as to keep its performance errors within bounds is considered. The objective is to maximise the time during which performance errors remain below a prescribed ceiling, while the controlled system's parameters are within a specified neighbourhood of their nominal values. It is shown that there is an optimal open loop controller that achieves this objective. Conditions under which the optimal controller generates a bang-bang control input signal are characterised. In general, it is shown that the performance of the optimal controller can always be approximated by a bang-bang signal.
Perception of Abortion and Abortion Laws by Lawyers in Anambra State Nigeria

Abortion is the knowing destruction of the life of an unborn child in the womb other than for the principal purpose of producing a life birth or removal of a dead tissue. The Nigeria law stipulates that abortion is allowed only where there is risk to the life of the woman and or to her physical or mental health. This study is aimed at determining the perception of abortion and the relevant laws by lawyers in Anambra State, Nigeria. It is a descriptive cross sectional study carried out between May-June 2010 using pre-tested self administered questionnaires to collect data from consenting 200 lawyers in the 3 major towns of Anambra State. All the respondents knew about abortion, recognized health hazards associated with it and mentioned infertility as the major complication of abortion (53%) followed by death (52.5%) and bleeding (42.5%). About 80% of respondents said abortion should be allowed in cases of danger to woman’s life, rape or incest. Eighty-five percent of the lawyers were aware of the existing abortion law in Nigeria and 76.5% of this knew abortion was legal only to save the life of the woman. Only 26% were in support of legalization of abortion. The Lawyers recommended health education and family planning, among others as means of preventing abortion and its complications. Stigma associated with abortion should be removed to improve free reporting of abortion cases for legal actions. Further research should involve other stakeholders on abortion to make for a holistic approach to the problem.
Human Amyloidogenic Light Chains Directly Impair Cardiomyocyte Function Through an Increase in Cellular Oxidant Stress

Primary amyloidosis is a systemic disorder characterized by the clonal production and tissue deposition of immunoglobulin light chain (LC) proteins. Congestive heart failure remains the greatest cause of death in primary amyloidosis, due to the development of a rapidly progressive amyloid cardiomyopathy. Amyloid cardiomyopathy is largely unresponsive to current heart failure therapies, and is associated with a median survival of less than 6 months and a 5-year survival of less than 10%. The mechanisms underlying this disorder, however, remain unknown. In this report, we demonstrate that physiological levels of human amyloid LC proteins, isolated from patients with amyloid cardiomyopathy (cardiac-LC), specifically alter cellular redox state in isolated cardiomyocytes, marked by an increase in intracellular reactive oxygen species and upregulation of the redox-sensitive protein, heme oxygenase-1. In contrast, vehicle or control LC proteins isolated from patients without cardiac involvement did not alter cardiomyocyte redox status. Oxidant stress imposed by cardiac-LC proteins further resulted in direct impairment of cardiomyocyte contractility and relaxation, associated with alterations in intra-cellular calcium handling. Cardiomyocyte dysfunction induced by cardiac-LC proteins was independent of neurohormonal stimulants, vascular factors, or extracellular fibril deposition, and was prevented through treatment with a superoxide dismutase/catalase mimetic. This study suggests that cardiac dysfunction in amyloid cardiomyopathy is directly mediated by LC protein-induced cardiomyocyte oxidant stress and alterations in cellular redox status, independent of fibril deposition. Antioxidant therapies or treatment strategies aimed at eliminating circulating LC proteins may therefore be beneficial in the treatment of this fatal disease.
A robust tool highlights the influence of bird migration on influenza A virus evolution

One of the fundamental unknowns in the field of influenza biology is a panoramic understanding of the role wild birds play in the global maintenance and spread of influenza A viruses. Wild aquatic birds are considered a reservoir host for all lowly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (AIV) and thus serve as a potential source of zoonotic AIV, such as Australasian‐origin H5N1 responsible for morbidity and mortality in both poultry and humans, as well as genes that may contribute to the emergence of pandemic viruses. Years of broad, in‐depth wild bird AIV surveillance have helped to decipher key observations and ideas regarding AIV evolution and viral ecology including the trending of viral lineages, patterns of gene flow within and between migratory flyways and the role of geographic boundaries in shaping viral evolution (Bahl et al. ; Lam et al. ). While these generally ‘virus‐centric’ studies have ultimately advanced our broader understanding of AIV dynamics, recent studies have been more host‐focused, directed at determining the potential impact of host behaviour on AIV, specifically, the influence of bird migration upon AIV maintenance and transmission. A large number of surveillance studies have taken place in Alaska, United States—a region where several global flyways overlap—with the aim of detecting the introduction of novel, Australasian‐origin highly pathogenic H5N1 AIV into North America. By targeting bird species with known migration habits, long‐distance migrators were determined to be involved in the intercontinental movement of individual AIV gene segments, but not entire viruses, between the Australasian and North American flyways (Koehler et al. ; Pearce et al. ). Yet, bird movement is not solely limited to long‐distance migration, and the relationship of resident or nonmigratory and intermediate‐distance migrant populations with AIV ecology has only recently been explored by Hill et al. ( ) in this issue of Molecular Ecology. Applying a uniquely refined, multidimensional approach, Hill et al. validate the innovative use of stable isotope assays for qualifying migration status of wild mallards within the Pacific flyway. The authors reveal that AIV prevalence and diversity did not differ in wintering mallard ducks with different migration strategies, and while migrant mallards do indeed introduce AIV, these viruses do not circulate as the predominant viruses in resident birds. On the other hand, resident mallards from more temperate regions act as reservoirs, possibly contributing to the unseasonal circulation and extended transmission period of AIV. This study highlights the impact of animal behaviour on shaping viral evolution, and the unique observations made will help inform prospective AIV surveillance efforts in wild birds.
DNA adduct formation by the environmental contaminant 3‐nitrobenzanthrone after intratracheal instillation in rats

3‐Nitrobenzanthrone (3‐NBA) is an environmental pollutant and suspected human carcinogen found in emissions from diesel and gasoline engines and on the surface of ambient air particulate matter; human exposure to 3‐NBA is likely to occur primarily via the respiratory tract. In our study female Sprague Dawley rats were treated by intratracheal instillation with a single dose of 0.2 or 2 mg/kg body weight of 3‐NBA. Using the butanol enrichment version of the 32P‐postlabeling method, DNA adduct formation by 3‐NBA 48 hr after intratracheal administration in different organs (lung, pancreas, kidney, urinary bladder, heart, small intestine and liver) and in blood was investigated. The same adduct pattern consisting of up to 5 DNA adduct spots was detected by thin layer chromatography in all tissues and blood and at both doses. Highest total adduct levels were found in lung and pancreas (350 ± 139 and 620 ± 370 adducts per 108 nucleotides for the high dose and 39 ± 18 and 55 ± 34 adducts per 108 nucleotides for the low dose, respectively) followed by kidney, urinary bladder, heart, small intestine and liver. Adduct levels were dose‐dependent in all organs (approximately 10‐fold difference between doses). It was demonstrated by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) that all 5 3‐NBA‐derived DNA adducts formed in rats after intratracheal instillation are identical to those formed by other routes of application and are, as previously shown, formed from reductive metabolites bound to purine bases. Although total adduct levels in the blood were much lower (41 ± 27 and 9.5 ± 1.9 adducts per 108 nucleotides for the high and low dose, respectively) than those found in the lung, they were related to dose and to the levels found in lung. These results show that uptake of 3‐NBA by the lung induces high levels of specific DNA adducts in several organs of the rat and an identical adduct pattern in DNA from blood. Therefore, 3‐NBA‐DNA adducts present in the blood are useful biomarkers for exposure to 3‐NBA and may help to assess the effective biological dose in humans exposed to it. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Sexually transmitted infections among Nigerian adolescent schoolgirls.

A total of 1066 unmarried girls were recruited. Their mean age was 16.8 years (SD 1.3 years) and 51.1% (545) were sexually experienced. Prevalence of STIs was as follows: gonorrhea 2.1%; chlamydia 2.1%; syphilis 1.0%; trichomoniasis 9.1%. In all 13.8% had any STI and 11.1% had symptomatic candidosis. Table 1 shows that after adjustment for confounding factors having a partner >25 years (p = 0.00) and having a partner whose occupation was “other” (that is a miscellaneous category: p=0.03) was associated with being positive for any STI. Non-sexually experienced girls were almost as likely to report any discharge (43.4%) as the sexually experienced (53.6%). For the latter the sensitivity of “any” discharge was 87.5% for gonorrhea 62.9% for trichomoniasis and 50.0% for chlamydia. Specificity was 46.3% 46.6% and 45.7% respectively. Positive predictive values for all types of discharge were generally poor. As for clinical signs of cervicitis: 6.1% of girls with ectropion hyperaemia or purulent discharge were positive for either chlamydia or gonorrhea. Endocervical polymorph counts were raised in girls both with and without infection (mean count 16.8 and 8.9 respectively). The leucocyte esterase test was positive (any level) for 22.6% of girls with an STI compared with 3.4% of girls with no reproductive tract infection. (excerpt)
Are US Exports Different from China’s Exports? Evidence from Japan’s Imports

Are US exports different from China’s exports? If so, how? This article attempts to answer this question, using product-level manufacturing import data from Japan. To make the comparison clear, this article also examines exports from the EU. The results indicate that more than 85 per cent and 83 per cent of products exported by the US and the EU, respectively, to Japan are also commonly exported from China. Both the US and the EU export products are priced higher than China’s export products, regardless of industries. This result suggests that quality differences matter in explaining the high overlap of China’s export products with US and EU export products. In some industries, however, the price differences of US and EU exports relative to China’s exports are relatively small. This result implies that either Chinese firms are upgrading the quality of their products, or US and EU firms are improving their efficiencies such that they can compete with Chinese firms.
Proteolytically derived fragments of human plasma fibronectin and their localization within the intact molecule.

Plasma fibronectin, which is also known as cold-insoluble globulin, consists of two polypeptide chains of approximately 250,000 daltons joined by disulfide bonds located near one end of the molecule. Plasma fibronectin was isolated b y gelatin-Sepharose affinity chromatography and ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. Purified plasma fibronectin was cleaved with human a-thrombin, and three major fragments were recovered: two large ones with molecular weights of approximately 230,000 and 235,000, and a small one with a molecular weight of 29,000. The fragments were separated on a gelatin-Sepharose affinity column. The smaller piece was not retained, while the larger fragments and the remaining undigested molecules were bound and could be eluted with 2 M guanidine HC1. NHz-terminal analysis was performed on intact plasma fibronectin and on the fragments using the dansyl (5-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl) chloride technique. No NHz-terminal residue was detected in either the intact molecule or the small fragment, whereas analysis of the large fragments yielded dansylalanine. Treatment of the intact molecule and the small fragment with pyroglutamyl peptide hydrolase resulted in the appearance of NHz-terminal alanine. These results were confirmed by automated amino acid sequence analysis; furthermore, the intact molecule and the small fragment were shown to contain identical NHz-terminal sequences. The data indicate that the smaller proteolytically derived fragment is located at the NH2 terminus of plasma fibronectin, while the large fragments constitute the carboxyl portion of the molecule.
Interfacial behaviour of strontium-containing hydroxyapatite cement with cancellous and cortical bone

The bone-bonding behaviors of various biomaterials have been extensively investigated. However, the precise mechanisms of bone bonding have not yet been clarified, and the differences in interfacial behaviors of biomaterial bonding with cancellous bone and cortical bone have not yet been understood. In this study, strontium-containing hydroxyapatite (Sr-HA) cement, in which 10% calcium ions were substituted by strontium, was performed in a rabbit hip replacement model. Six months later, the morphology and chemical composition of interfaces between Sr-HA cement with cancellous bone and cortical bone were evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Remarkable differences between these two interfaces were suggested both in morphology and chemical compositions. An apatite layer was found between Sr-HA cement and cancellous bone with a thickness of about 70mm. However, only a very thin interface (about 1mm) was formed with cortical bone. As for the cancellous bone/cement interface, high ions intensity of Ca, P, Sr, Na, and O were confirmed by FESEM-EDX and ToF-SIMS. Differences in morphology and chemical component between these two interfaces provided convincing evidences for the proposed dissolution–precipitation coupling mechanism in the formation of biological apatite. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Lung cancer tissue diagnosis in poor lung function: addressing the ongoing percutaneous lung biopsy FEV1 paradox using Heimlich valve

Many centres continue to decline percutaneous lung biopsy (PLB) in patients with poor lung function (particularly FEV1 <1 L) due to the theoretically increased risk of pneumothorax. This practice limits access to novel lung cancer therapies and minimally invasive surgical techniques. Our retrospective single-centre analysis of 212 patients undergoing PLB, all performed prospectively and blinded to lung function, demonstrates that using ambulatory Heimlich valve chest drain (HVCD) to treat significant postbiopsy pneumothorax facilitates safe, diagnostic, early discharge lung biopsy irrespective of lung function with neither FEV1 <1 L nor transfer coefficient for carbon monoxide (TLCO) <40% predicted shown to be independent predictors of HVCD insertion or pneumothorax outcomes. Incorporating ambulatory HVCD into standard PLB practice thereby elegantly bridges the gap that currently exists between tissue diagnosis in patients with poor lung function and the advanced therapeutic options available for this cohort.
Beliefs and attitudes of hospital inpatients about faith healing and prayer.

BACKGROUND Physicians rarely question patients about their religious beliefs. This lack of inquiry may be contrary to patients' wishes and detrimental to patient care. This study examines whether patients want physicians to discuss religious beliefs with them. METHODS Two hundred three family practice adult inpatients at two hospitals were interviewed regarding their views on the relationship between religion and health. RESULTS Many patients expressed positive attitudes toward physician involvement in spiritual issues. Seventy-seven percent said physicians should consider patients' spiritual needs, 37% wanted their physicians to discuss religious beliefs with them more frequently, and 48% wanted their physicians to pray with them. However, 68% said their physician had never discussed religious beliefs with them. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the hypothesis that although many patients desire more frequent and more in-depth discussions about religious issues with their physicians, physicians generally do not discuss these issues with their patients.
XPose: Reinventing User Interaction with Flying Cameras

—XPose is a new touch-based interactive system for photo taking, designed to take advantage of the autonomous ﬂying capability of a drone-mounted camera. It enables the user to interact with photos directly and focus on taking photos instead of piloting the drone. XPose introduces a two-stage eXplore-and-comPose approach to photo taking in static scenes. In the ﬁrst stage, the user explores the “photo space” through predeﬁned interaction modes: Orbit , Pano , and Zigzag . Under each mode, the camera visits many points of view (POVs) and takes exploratory photos through autonomous drone ﬂying. In the second stage, the user restores a selected POV with the help of a gallery preview and uses direct manipulation gestures to reﬁne the POV and compose a ﬁnal photo. Our prototype implementation, based on a Parrot Bebop quadcopter
Light-scattering and absorption effects caused by addition of adenosine diphosphate to rat-heart-muscle sarcosomes.

chrome b, and two explanations for his result are considered. 5. The cross-over point for the effect of addition of adenosine diphosphate upon the steady-state oxidation-reduction level of the cytochromes lies between b and c. This result is consistent with observations on mitochondrial preparations and indicates the similarity of the electron-transfer and phosphorylation mechanisms in heart sarcosomes and in liver mitochondria. 6. The observations suggest that the response of the oxidation-reduction levels of the components of the respiratory chain to increases and decreases of concentration of adenosine diphosphate is a basic characteristic of the electron-transfer and phosphorylation mechanisn and is to be found in sarcosomes and mitochondria of many cell types.