Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasmid DNA breakage by decay of DNA‐associated Auger emitters: experiments with 123I/125I‐iodoHoechst 33258

Purpose: The Auger emitting isotope 123I has a much shorter half‐life (13.2 hours), than 125I, the prototype Auger emitter. Monte Carlo simulations and cell culture studies indicate that decay of 123I covalently incorporated into DNA is about half as effective as 125I in terms of DNA breakage and cytotoxicity. The aim of the present study is to assess the DNA breakage efficacy of 123I that is non‐covalently associated with DNA, using the minor groove binding ligand iodoHoechst 33258. Materials and Methods: Plasmid (pBR322) DNA was incubated with mixtures of [123I]‐ and [125I]‐iodoHoechst 33258, and DNA double strand breakage (DSB) assessed by assaying the relative amounts of intact, relaxed and linear plasmid forms separated by agarose gel electrophoresis. This “double‐label” approach provides a measure of the ratio of probabilities of DSB formation per decay for these two isotopes, with much higher precision than comparing the absolute probabilities for the individual isotopes, principally because it avoids the requirement to accurately determine the fraction of bound ligand. Results: Our results indicate that the ratio of DSB probability per decay of 123I to that of 125I is 0.63±0.03. The ratio does not change much with addition of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to the incubation mixture ‐ 0.65±0.03. This ratio agrees well with the relative efficiency of the two isotopes reported in theoretical and experimental studies, using various endpoints. Conclusions: In considering the possible exploitation of the Auger effect in cancer therapy, the modest decrease in DNA breakage efficacy for 123I compared to 125I might be more than compensated for by the advantage of the much shorter half‐life. The 60‐day half‐life of 125I imposes severe limitations in terms of radiation protection.
In‐vivo patellar tendon kinematics during weight‐bearing deep knee flexion

This study quantified in‐vivo 3D patellar tendon kinematics during weight‐bearing deep knee bend beyond 150°. Each knee was MRI scanned to create 3D bony models of the patella, tibia, femur, and the attachment sites of the patellar tendon on the distal patella and the tibial tubercle. Each attachment site was divided into lateral, central, and medial thirds. The subjects were then imaged using a dual fluoroscopic image system while performing a deep knee bend. The knee positions were determined using the bony models and the fluoroscopic images. The patellar tendon kinematics was analyzed using the relative positions of its patellar and tibial attachment sites. The relative elongations of all three portions of the patellar tendon increased similarly up to 60°. Beyond 60°, the relative elongation of the medial portion of the patellar tendon decreased as the knee flexed from 60° to 150° while those of the lateral and central portions showed continuous increases from 120° to 150°. At 150°, the relative elongation of the medial portion was significantly lower than that of the central portion. In four of seven knees, the patellar tendon impinged on the tibial bony surface at 120° and 150° of knee flexion. These data may provide useful insight into the intrinsic patellar tendon biomechanics during a weight‐bearing deep knee bend and could provide biomechanical guidelines for future development of total knee arthroplasties that are intended to restore normal knee function. © 2012 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 30:1596–1603, 2012
Predicting Multiple Unit Franchising

Abstract This paper examines the current status of multiple unit franchising in Australia. A review of previous research in the United States highlights some characteristics that may be unique to the Australian setting such as the age and size of franchise systems, the “hands on” involvement and experience of existing franchisees, monitoring cost effects, the use of franchisor performance evaluation and reward techniques, and the governance structure of franchise systems. Consideration has been given to both academic and trade literature in developing a set of propositions that predict the likely adoption of multiple unit franchising strategies within the Australian context. These propositions explain multiple unit franchising in terms of the franchisor (growth, firm characteristics, contiguity, strategy, agency cost effects and corporate structure), the franchisee (experience and involvement at the store level), and the franchisor/franchisee relationship (intrafirm conflict). Both the model and propositions will be empirically tested in the near future.
Desensitization of the Human Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide Receptor (hVIP2/PACAP R): Evidence for Agonist‐Induced Receptor Phosphorylation and Internalization a

Abstract: To investigate the role of phosphorylation and internalization in the desensitization of the hVIP2/PACAP receptor, we expressed a C‐terminal epitope‐tagged (hemagglutinin; YPYDVPDYASL) receptor in COS7 and HEK293 cell lines. Radiolabeling experiments demonstrated that exposure to agonist induced receptor phosphorylation significantly above basal levels. This receptor phosphorylation was greater than that induced by receptor‐independent activation of PKA with forskolin and that induced by co‐application of forskolin and agonist. This suggests that receptor occupancy promotes phosphorylation and also that receptor phosphorylation may involve a specific G protein‐coupled receptor kinase in addition to PKA. Immunocytochemical analysis showed that the receptor was internalized in response to agonist to a single site of accumulation within the cell and this was dependent on temperature, agonist concentration, and time. Further studies will focus on identifying phosphorylation sites and endocytic signals within the hVIP2/PACAP R.
Comparative Effectiveness of Acupuncture and Antiarrhythmic Drugs for the Prevention of Cardiac Arrhythmias: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Introduction and Objectives: This study was designed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for arrhythmia compared to existing drug therapy. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified through searches of the MEDLINE, CNKI, Embase, and Cochrane databases (1970 through 2016) and hand searches of cross-references from original articles and reviews. Clinical trials that randomized arrhythmia patients to acupuncture therapy vs. conventional drugs, sham acupuncture, or bed rest were included for analysis. Results: A total of 13 trials with 797 patients met the criteria for analysis. The results of the meta-analysis showed no statistically significant difference between acupuncture and conventional treatment for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT) (n = 203; RR, 1.18; 95% CI 0.78–1.79; I2 = 80%; P = 0.44). However, in the ventricular premature beat (VPB) group, it showed a significant benefit of acupuncture plus oral administration of anti-arrhythmic drug (AAD) on response rates compared with the oral administration of AAD (n = 286; RR, 1.15; 95% CI 1.05–1.27; I2 = 0%; P = 0.002). Finally, when compared with the sinus tachycardia (ST) cases without any treatment, acupuncture has benefited these patients (n = 120; MD, 18.80, 95% CI 12.68–24.92; I2 = 81%; P < 0.00001). Conclusions: In summary, our meta-analysis demonstrates that clinical efficacy of acupuncture is not less than AAD for PSVT. Furthermore, in sub-group analysis, acupuncture with or without AAD, shows a clear benefit in treating VPB and ST. However, more definitive RCTs are warranted to guide clinical practice.
Liquid-based cytology versus conventional cytology for evaluation of cervical Pap smears: experience from the first 1000 split samples.

CONTEXT AND AIM Screening programs using conventional cytology conventional Pap smear (CPS) have successfully reduced cervical cancer, but newer tests like liquid-based cytology (LBC) and human papillomavirus testing might enhance screening. The main aim of the present study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of LBC versus CPS using "split samples. " MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a prospective study comprising of 1000 consecutive cervical "split samples" over a period of 1 year. Split sample was obtained using cervex-brush. CPS was prepared from the brush and the brush head was suspended in the LBC vial and processed by SurePath™ LBC. RESULTS There were 4.3% unsatisfactory (U/S) cases in CPS and 1.7% in LBC; the main cause is insufficient cells, and excess of blood in CPS. About 25/100 (2.5%) split samples had epithelial abnormalities both in CPS and LBC (1.2%-atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance; 0.4%-low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; 0.2%-high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion; 0.5%-squamous cell carcinoma; 0.1%-atypical glandular cells favouring neoplasia; 0.2%-adenocarcinoma). Inflammatory organisms were almost equally identified in both techniques but were better seen in LBC samples. CONCLUSIONS LBC technique leads to significant reduction of U/S rate. LBC samples offered better clarity, uniform spread of smears, less time for screening and better handling of hemorrhagic and inflammatory samples. LBC had equivalent sensitivity and specificity to CPS.
Design and Evaluation of Self-Microemulsifying Drug Delivery System (SMEDDS) of Tacrolimus

The objective of present investigation was to formulate self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) of tacrolimus (FK 506), a poorly water soluble immunosuppressant that exhibits low and erratic bioavailability. Solubility of FK 506 in various oils, surfactants cosurfactants and buffers was determined. Phase diagrams were constructed at different ratios of surfactant/cosurfactant (Km) to determine microemulsion existence region. The effect of oil content, pH of aqueous phase, dilution, and incorporation of drug on mean globule size of resulting microemulsions was studied. The optimized SMEDDS formulation was evaluated for in vitro dissolution profile in comparison to pure drug and marketed formulation (Pangraf capsules). The in vivo immunosuppressant activity of FK 506 SMEDDS was evaluated in comparison to Pangraf capsules. Area of o/w microemulsion region in phase diagram was increased with increase in Km. The SMEDDS yielded microemulsion with globule size less than 25 nm which was not affected by the pH of dilution medium. The SMEDDS was robust to dilution and did not show any phase separation and drug precipitation even after 24 h. Optimized SMEDDS exhibited superior in vitro dissolution profile as compared to pure drug and Pangraf capsules. Furthermore, FK 506 SMEDDS exhibited significantly higher immunosuppressant activity in mice as compared to Pangraf capsules.
Photonic downconversion link with linearization and full spectrum utilization

We propose and verify a scheme to both improve the gain and linearity of the downconverted analog photonic link. We utilize the different electro-optic coefficients of the phase modulator to realize the suppression of the third-order intermodulation distortion. And the link gain is improved by full spectrum utilization. The simulation results show that the SFDR is improved by ∼14dB. And the link gain is increased by ∼13.43dB compared to the linearized downconversion link without full spectrum utilization.
Should Cavitation in Proximal Surfaces Be Reported in Cone Beam Computed Tomography Examination?

Aim: A clinical study was done to assess the clinical diagnostic accuracy of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in detecting proximal cavitated carious lesions in order to determine whether cavitation should be reported when a CBCT examination is available. Materials and Methods: 79 adjacent proximal surfaces without restorations in permanent teeth were examined. Patients suspected to have carious lesions after a visual clinical and a bitewing examination participated in a CBCT examination (Kodak 9000 3D, 5 × 3.7 cm field of view, voxel size 0.07 mm). Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained according to the Helsinki Declaration. Radiographic assessment recording lesions with or without cavitation was performed by two observers in bitewings and CBCT sections. Orthodontic separators were placed interdentally between two lesion-suspected surfaces. The separator was removed after 3 days and the surfaces recorded as cavitated (yes/no), i.e. validated clinically. Differences between the two radiographic modalities (sensitivity, specificity and overall accuracy) were estimated by analyzing the binary data in a generalized linear model. Results: For both observers, sensitivity was significantly higher for CBCT than for bitewings (average difference 33%, p < 0.001) while specificity was not significantly different between the methods (p = 0.19). The overall accuracy was also significantly higher for CBCT (p < 0.001). Conclusion: CBCT was more accurate in detecting cavitation in proximal surfaces than bitewing radiographs; therefore a CBCT examination performed for other clinical applications should also be assessed for proximal surface cavities in teeth without restorations, and when detected, this pathology must be part of the dentist's report.
Is obstructive sleep apnea syndrome a neurological disorder? A continuous positive airway pressure follow‐up study

Abnormal sensory responses have been found in the upper airway of obstructive sleep apnea patients, but no long‐term study has been published previously regarding the evolution of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and persistence of abnormal pharyngeal sensory evaluation in response to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment. Over 5 years, we managed healthy, nonobese subjects compliant with nasal CPAP. Only 47 subjects completed this prospective study, due to protocol requirements. They underwent regular clinical evaluation, subjective scales, four polysomnographies without nasal CPAP, recalibration of nasal CPAP with polysomnography, regular downloading of home data, and a palatal two‐point discrimination study. None of the subjects presented normal results at any checkpoint when they had been without CPAP for two or three nights. By the completion of the study, all subjects required an increase in nasal CPAP (1–7cm H2O) and demonstrated abnormal two‐point palatal discrimination compared with control subjects. Despite initial control of clinical symptoms with regular usage of nasal CPAP in subjects without weight change, abnormal sensory palatal evaluation was present at the conclusion of the study. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome involves abnormal upper airway sensory input, which may be responsible for the development of apneas and hypopneas. These neurological lesions are persistent despite nasal CPAP treatment. Ann Neurol 2006
Gains from Trade: Does Sectoral Heterogeneity Matter?

This paper assesses the quantitative importance of including sectoral heterogeneity in computing the gains from trade. Our framework draws from Caliendo and Parro (2015) and has sectoral heterogeneity along five dimensions, including the elasticity of trade to trade costs. We estimate the sectoral trade elasticity with the Simonovska and Waugh (2014) simulated method of moments estimator and micro price data. Our estimates range from 2.97 to 8.94. Our benchmark model is calibrated to 21 OECD countries and 20 sectors. We remove one or two sources of sectoral heterogeneity at a time, and compare the gains from trade to the benchmark model. We also compare an aggregate model with a single elasticity to the benchmark model. Our main result from these counterfactual exercises is that sectoral heterogeneity does not always lead to an increase in the gains from trade, which is consistent with the theory.
Distance Education in the Indian Context

Open and distance education systems are not complete strangers in the world of education today, but a reasonable appreciation of the overall potential of these systems is lacking even among the knowledgeable people. Without labelling the scepticism against these systems as abnormal, we think every distance educator should emphasise the various strengths thereof. It is with this need in view that we rate Prof Kulandai Swamy's presentation stimulating and encouraging. It may be noted that he does not see distance education as an 'alternative' to the conventional systems of education, instead for him it is a new educational movement, which has thrown upmany questions, both theoretical and practical, for the distance educatorsto work on.
Non-Bayesian Testing of a Stochastic Prediction

We propose a method to test a prediction of the distribution of a stochastic process. In a non-Bayesian non-parametric setting, a predicted distribution is tested using a realization of the stochastic process. A test associates a set of realizations for each predicted distribution, on which the prediction passes. So that there are no type I errors, a prediction assigns probability 1 to its test set. Nevertheless, these sets are small, in the sense that "most" distributions assign it probability 0, and hence there are few type II errors. It is also shown that there exists such a test that cannot be manipulated, in the sense that an uninformed predictor who is pretending to know the true distribution is guaranteed to fail on an uncountable number of realizations, no matter what randomized prediction he employs. The notion of a small set we use is category I, described in more detail in the paper.
Children Engagement with Literacy: A Study of Literacy Practices at a Multilingual Classroom in Cape Town, South Africa

This paper reports on the early literacy activities which children engage with at school to develop multi-competences. It draws an understanding of literacy as a social practice given the intricacies related to a particular literacy event. In this paper literacy is understood beyond reading and writing ability in order to widen the scope for early literacy learners to explore with literacy. The data was collected through ethnographic case study design from a grade three class using observation and document analysis. The class teacher became a resource as she used linguistic competence in English, Afrikaans and IsiXhosa to teach literacy in different situations. The data shows that, language is a resource for teaching and learning literacy instead of seeing it as a problem and barrier to the learning process. Home language can be an instrument through which children develop cognitive skills for learning. The paper concludes that, despite the efforts to support learners to become multi-literate, teachers’ competence in different languages is necessary to facilitate the acquisition of multilingual skills.
A cross-sectional association of obesity with coronary calcium among Japanese, Koreans, Japanese Americans, and U.S. whites.

AIMS Conflicting evidence exists regarding whether obesity is independently associated with coronary artery calcium (CAC), a measure of coronary atherosclerosis. We examined an independent association of obesity with prevalent CAC among samples of multi-ethnic groups whose background populations have varying levels of obesity and coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS AND RESULTS We analysed a population-based sample of 1212 men, aged 40-49 years free of clinical cardiovascular disease recruited in 2002-06; 310 Japanese in Japan (JJ), 294 Koreans in South Korea (KN), 300 Japanese Americans (JA), and 308 Whites in the USA (UW). We defined prevalent CAC as an Agatston score of ≥10. Prevalent CAC was calculated by tertile of the body mass index (BMI) in each ethnic group and was plotted against the corresponding median of tertile BMI. Additionally, logistic regression was conducted to examine whether an association of the BMI was independent of conventional risk factors. The median BMI and crude prevalence of CAC for JJ, KN, JA, and UW were 23.4, 24.4, 27.4, and 27.1 (kg/m2); 12, 11, 32, and 26 (%), respectively. Despite the absolute difference in levels of BMI and CAC across groups, higher BMI was generally associated with higher prevalent CAC in each group. After adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol, hypertension, lipids, and diabetes mellitus, the BMI was positively and independently associated with prevalent CAC in JJ, KN, UW, but not in JA. CONCLUSION In this multi-ethnic study, obesity was independently associated with subclinical stage of coronary atherosclerosis among men aged 40-49 years regardless of the BMI level.
Reconceptualising professional learning through knowing-in-practice: a case study of a coaches high performance centre

Abstract In response to learning development literature that is negative regarding the formal education coaches’ encounter, there has been a conceptual/practical shift towards recognising the coaching workplace as a legitimate site for professional knowledge development. Building upon contemporary studies of learning ‘in situ’, this paper draws upon the theory of practice architectures to provide an innovative language by which to capture the complexity of learning within this context. In doing so, the cultural-discursive, material-economic, and socio-political arrangements of practice are shown to either enable or constrain learning activities. Findings from a 10-month ethnographic study of a high-performance training centre (n= 9 coaches/support staff), highlighted the significant role the macro-structural features of sport, and the inherent ‘learning culture’, played in determining the learning valued within this context. This study draws attention to the challenges a transient coaching workforce, within a dynamic environment, presents to those attempting to foster learning in this context.
Transcriptome analysis of zebrafish embryos exposed to deltamethrin

Deltamethrin (DTM), a type II pyrethroid, is one of the most commonly used insecticides. The increased use of pyrethroid leads to potential adverse effects, particularly in sensitive populations such as children and pregnant women. None of the related studies was focused on the transcriptome responses in zebrafish embryos after treatment with DTM; therefore, RNA‐seq, a high‐throughput method, was performed to analyze the global expression of differential expressed genes (DEGs) in zebrafish embryos treated with DTM (40 and 80 μg/L) from fertilization to 48 h postfertilization (hpf) as compared with that in the control group (without DTM treatment). Two cDNA libraries were generated from treated embryos and one cDNA library from nontreated embryos, respectively. Over 92% of reads mapped to the reference in these three libraries. It was observed that many differential genes were expressed in comparison with embryos before and after DTM. The 20 most differentially expressed upregulated or downregulated genes were majorly involved in the signaling transduction. Validation of selected nine genes expression using qRT‐PCR confirmed RNA‐seq results. The transcriptome sequences were further subjected to gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, showing G‐protein‐coupled receptor signaling pathway and neuroactive ligand–receptor interaction, respectively, were most enriched. The data from this study contributed to a better understanding of the potential consequences of fish exposed to DTM, to an evaluation of the potential threat of DTM to fish populations in aquatic environments. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 1548–1557, 2017.