Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Myostatin Gene Is a Downstream Target Gene of Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor MyoD

ABSTRACT Myostatin is a negative regulator of myogenesis, and inactivation of myostatin leads to heavy muscle growth. Here we have cloned and characterized the bovine myostatin gene promoter. Alignment of the upstream sequences shows that the myostatin promoter is highly conserved during evolution. Sequence analysis of 1.6 kb of the bovine myostatin gene upstream region revealed that it contains 10 E-box motifs (E1 to E10), arranged in three clusters, and a single MEF2 site. Deletion and mutation analysis of the myostatin gene promoter showed that out of three important E boxes (E3, E4, and E6) of the proximal cluster, E6 plays a significant role in the regulation of a reporter gene in C2C12 cells. We also demonstrate by band shift and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay that the E6 E-box motif binds to MyoD in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, cotransfection experiments indicate that among the myogenic regulatory factors, MyoD preferentially up-regulates myostatin promoter activity. Since MyoD expression varies during the myoblast cell cycle, we analyzed the myostatin promoter activity in synchronized myoblasts and quiescent “reserve” cells. Our results suggest that myostatin promoter activity is relatively higher during the G1 phase of the cell cycle, when MyoD expression levels are maximal. However, in the reserve cells, which lack MyoD expression, a significant reduction in the myostatin promoter activity is observed. Taken together, these results suggest that the myostatin gene is a downstream target gene of MyoD. Since the myostatin gene is implicated in controlling G1-to-S progression of myoblasts, MyoD could be triggering myoblast withdrawal from the cell cycle by regulating myostatin gene expression.
Original Research: Parvovirus B19 infection in children with sickle cell disease in the hydroxyurea era

Parvovirus B19 infection causes transient aplastic crisis in sickle cell disease (SCD) due to a temporary interruption in the red blood cell production. Toxicity from hydroxyurea includes anemia and reticulocytopenia, both of which also occur during a transient aplastic crisis event. Hydroxyurea inhibits proliferation of hematopoietic cells and may be immunosuppressive. We postulated that hydroxyurea could exacerbate parvovirus B19-induced aplastic crisis and inhibit the development of specific immune responses in children with SCD. We conducted a retrospective review of parvovirus B19 infection in 330 children with SCD. Altogether there were 120 known cases of aplastic crisis attributed to parvovirus B19 infection, and 12% of children were on hydroxyurea treatment during the episode. We evaluated hematological and immune responses. Children with HbSS or HbSβ0-thalassemia treated with hydroxyurea, when compared with untreated children, required fewer transfusions and had higher Hb concentration nadir during transient aplastic crisis. Duration of hospital stays was no different between hydroxyurea-treated and untreated groups. Children tested within a week following aplastic crisis were positive for parvovirus-specific IgG. Immune responses lasted for the duration of the observation period, up to 13 years after transient aplastic crisis, and there were no repeat aplastic crisis episodes. The frequencies of parvovirus-specific antibodies in all children with SCD increased with age, as expected due to the increased likelihood of a parvovirus exposure, and were comparable to frequencies reported for healthy children. Approximately one-third of children had a positive parvovirus B19-specific IgG test without a documented history of transient aplastic crisis, and 64% of them were treated with hydroxyurea. Hydroxyurea may reduce requirements for blood transfusions and may attenuate symptoms during transient aplastic crisis episodes caused by parvovirus B19 infections. Children with SCD, whether treated or untreated with hydroxyurea, generate sustained and protective parvovirus B19-specific immune responses.
Sources of distress for physicians and nurses working in Swiss neonatal intensive care units.

BACKGROUND Medical personnel working in intensive care often face difficult ethical dilemmas. These may represent important sources of distress and may lead to a diminished self-perceived quality of care and eventually to burnout. AIMS OF THE STUDY The aim of this study was to identify work-related sources of distress and to assess symptoms of burnout among physicians and nurses working in Swiss neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). METHODS In summer 2015, we conducted an anonymous online survey comprising 140 questions about difficult ethical decisions concerning extremely preterm infants. Of these 140 questions, 12 questions related to sources of distress and 10 to burnout. All physicians and nurses (n = 552) working in the nine NICUs in Switzerland were invited to participate. RESULTS The response rate was 72% (398). The aspects of work most commonly identified as sources of distress were: lack of regular staff meetings, lack of time for routine discussion of difficult cases, lack of psychological support for the NICU staff and families, and missing transmission of important information within the caregiver team. Differences between physicians' and nurses' perceptions became apparent: for example, nurses were more dissatisfied with the quality of the decision-making process. Different perceptions were also noted between staff in the German- and French- speaking parts of Switzerland: for example, respondents from the French part rated lack of regular staff meetings as being more problematic. On the other hand, personnel in the French part were more satisfied with their accomplishments in the job. On average, low levels of burnout symptoms were revealed, and only 6% of respondents answered that the work-related burden often affected their private life. CONCLUSIONS Perceived sources of distress in Swiss NICUs were similar to those in ICU studies. Despite rare symptoms of burnout, communication measures such as regular staff meetings and psychological support to prevent distress were clearly requested.
Impact of board structure on the performance of rural and community banks in the emerging economy context

The paper sought to examine the extent to which board structure impacts on the performance of rural and community banks (RCBs) in emerging economies, using the Brong Ahafo Region in Ghana as a case study. A panel data comprising the financial reports from 2010 to 2016 of eleven (11) RCBs were used for the study. The fixed effect modelling was used to examine the extent to which board structure impacts on the performance of the RCBs. Our results show that previous year’s returns on assets and equity as well as the board size and female composition had positive and significant relationships with returns on assets and equity respectively while board diversity had a significant and negative impact on return on equity. The implication for this study is that there is the need to control board size, while board diversification that considers female representations as part of its composition would go a long way to enhancing a firm’s performance. It is recommended that further studies be carried out to determine corporate board structure and its impact on management compensation in the rural and community banks in emerging economies.
Femtosecond tunable nonlinear absorption spectroscopy in Al0.1Ga0.9As.

Wavelength-tunable femtosecond absorption saturation measurements are combined with ensemble Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the dynamics of photoexcited carriers in Al 0.1 Ga 0.9 As. Continuum-generation and Fourier-synthesis techniques are used to generate tunable 40-fs optical pulses for the experiments. Carriers are excited to different initial states in the conduction band depending upon the wavelength selected for the experiment. The results of measurements in which the photon energies are either above or below the threshold for scattering from the Γ valley to the L valley are discussed
The role of grief symptoms and a sense of injustice in the pathways to post-traumatic stress symptoms in post-conflict Timor-Leste

Aims. Grief symptoms and a sense of injustice may be interrelated responses amongst persons exposed to mass conflict and both reactions may contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. As yet, however, there is a dearth of data examining these relationships. Our study examined the contributions of grief and a sense of injustice to a model of PTSD symptoms that included the established determinants of trauma events, ongoing adversity and severe psychological distress. The study involved a large population sample (n = 2964, response rate: 82.4%) surveyed in post-conflict Timor-Leste. Methods. The survey sites included an urban administrative area (suco) in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste and a rural village located an hour's drive away. Culturally adapted measures were applied to assess conflict related traumatic events (TEs), ongoing adversity, persisting preoccupations with injustice, symptoms of grief, psychological distress (including depressive symptoms) and PTSD symptoms. Results. We tested a series of structural equation models, the final comprehensive model, which included indices of grief symptoms and injustice, producing a good fit. Locating grief symptoms as the endpoint of the model produced a non-converging model. In the final model, strong associations were evident between grief and injustice (β = 0.34, s.e. = 0.02, p < 0.01) and grief and PTSD symptoms (β = 0.14, s.e. = 0.02, p < 0.01). The sense of injustice exerted a considerable effect on PTSD symptoms (β = 0.13, s.e. = 0.03, p < 0.01). In addition, multiple indirect paths were evident, most involving grief and a sense of injustice, attesting to the complex inter-relationship of these factors in contributing to PTSD symptoms. Conclusions. Our findings support an expanded model of PTSD symptoms relevant to post-conflict populations, in which grief symptoms and a sense of injustice play pivotal roles. The model supports the importance of a focus on loss, grief and a sense of injustice in conducting trauma-focused psychotherapies for PTSD amongst populations exposed to mass conflict and violence. Further research is needed to identify the precise mechanisms whereby grief symptoms and the sense of injustice impact on PTSD symptoms.
Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support for life-threatening acute severe status asthmaticus

Introduction: Status asthmaticus is a life-threatening condition characterized by progressive respiratory failure due to asthma that is unresponsive to standard therapeutic measures. We used extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to treat patients with near-fatal status asthamticus who did not respond to aggressive medical therapies and mechanical ventilation under controlled permissive hypercapnia. Materials and methods: Between January 2011 and October 2015, we treated 16 adult patients with status asthmaticus (8 women, 8 men, mean age: 50.5±10.6years) with veno-venous ECMO (13 patients) or veno-arterial (3 patients). Patients failed to respond to conventional therapies despite receiving the most aggressive therapies, including maximal medical treatments, mechanical ventilation under controlled permissive hypercapnia and general anesthetics. Results: Mean time spent on ECMO was 300±11.8 hours (range 36–384 hours). PaO2, PaCO2 and pH showed significant improvement promptly after ECMO initiation p=0.014, 0.001 and <0.001, respectively, and such values remained significantly improved after ECMO, p=0.004 and 0.001 and <0.001, respectively. The mean time of ventilation after decannulation until extubation was 175±145.66 hours and the median time to intensive care unit discharge after decannulation was 234±110.30 hours. All 16 patients survived without neurological sequelae. Conclusions: ECMO could provide adjunctive pulmonary support for intubated asthmatic patients who remain severely acidotic and hypercarbic despite aggressive conventional therapy. ECMO should be considered as an early treatment in patients with status asthmaticus whose gas exchange cannot be satisfactorily maintained by conventional therapy for providing adequate gas change and preventing lung injury from the ventilation.
Distinct roles for jasmonate synthesis and action in the systemic wound response of tomato

Plant defense responses to wounding and herbivore attack are regulated by signal transduction pathways that operate both at the site of wounding and in undamaged distal leaves. Genetic analysis in tomato indicates that systemin and its precursor protein, prosystemin, are upstream components of a wound-induced, intercellular signaling pathway that involves both the biosynthesis and action of jasmonic acid (JA). To examine the role of JA in systemic signaling, reciprocal grafting experiments were used to analyze wound-induced expression of the proteinase inhibitor II gene in a JA biosynthetic mutant (spr-2) and a JA response mutant (jai-1). The results showed that spr-2 plants are defective in the production, but not recognition, of a graft-transmissible wound signal. Conversely, jai-1 plants are compromised in the recognition of this signal but not its production. It was also determined that a graft-transmissible signal produced in response to ectopic expression of prosystemin in rootstocks was recognized by spr-2 but not by jai-1 scions. Taken together, the results show that activation of the jasmonate biosynthetic pathway in response to wounding or (pro)systemin is required for the production of a long-distance signal whose recognition in distal leaves depends on jasmonate signaling. These findings suggest that JA, or a related compound derived from the octadecanoid pathway, may act as a transmissible wound signal.
Measuring the performance of financial holding companies

Financial institutions have become larger and engage in a wider array of financial activities due to continuing consolidation. Since the financial holding companies face multiple production functions simultaneously, the traditional data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach is not suitable for investigating their efficiency. This study applies the multi-activity DEA model to explore the relative efficiency of 12 financial holding companies in Taiwan. The results show that the multi-activity DEA model is obviously more capable of identifying sources of inefficiency, thereby potentially yielding greater managerial insights into organisational improvements.
With a little help from my friends: why large financial spillovers require more international macroprudential policy coordination

With closer international economic and financial integration have come many benefits. Globalisation, however, also means countries are exposed to shocks from abroad, including those associated with volatile capital flows, with at times adverse consequences on domestic economic and financial conditions. A long tradition in economics has analysed the scope for such spillovers and the potential constraints that they may impose on domestic policies, including on trade-offs between achieving domestic macroeconomic stability and managing external imbalances. Until the global financial crisis (GFC), the consensus view was that spillovers were small, constraints were limited, and most trade-offs were largely benign. Especially with one’s house in order, it was thought, little more was needed.
Ameliorative Effect of Curcuma longa in Aflatoxicosis Induced Hematological and Histopathological Changes in Broiler Birds

1 Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Veterinary Science and A.H. , CGKV, Durg, Chhattisgarh, India 2 Department of Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, India 3 Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara, Assam Agricultural University, India *Corresponding author
Belief Manipulation Through Propositional Announcements

Public announcements cause each agent in a group to modify their beliefs to incorporate some new piece of information, while simultaneously being aware that all other agents are doing the same. Given a set of agents and a set of epistemic goals, it is natural to ask if there is a single announcement that will make each agent believe the corresponding goal. This problem is known to be undecidable in a general modal setting, where the presence of nested beliefs can lead to complex dynamics. In this paper, we consider not necessarily truthful public announcements in the setting of AGM belief revision. We prove that announcement finding in this setting is not only decidable, but that it is simpler than the corresponding problem in the most simplified modal logics. We then describe an implemented tool that uses announcement finding to control robot behaviour through belief manipulation.
1 Saccharomyces cerevisiae Dmc 1 and Rad 51 preferentially function with Tid 1 and Rad 54 , respectively , to promote DNA strand invasion during genetic recombination

Background: DNA strand exchange proteins, Dmc1 and Rad51, and translocases, Tid1 and Rad54, function in DNA break repair during meiosis. Results: We biochemically demonstrate that Dmc1 and Rad51 are specifically stimulated by Tid1 and Rad54, respectively. Conclusions: Dmc1-Tid1 and Rad51-Rad54 represent functional pairs for DNA pairing and joint molecule formation. Significance: The separate and independent functioning of these proteins offers insight into DNA pairing in meiosis.
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Self-Concept in Female Preadolescent Twins: Comparison of Minnesota and Seoul Data

Abstract It has been argued that culture significantly influences the developmental basis of self-concept. The goal of the present study is to compare the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors to explain individual differences in various dimensions of self-concept in female preadoles- cents of Minnesota in the United States and Seoul in South Korea. Two hundred and eighteen monozygotic (MZ) and 137 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs from the Minnesota Twin Family Study (MTFS) and 74 MZ and 42 DZ twin pairs from the Seoul Twin Family Study (STFS) completed the 6 cluster scales of the Piers–Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale (P–H). The 6 cluster scales of the P-H include Popularity, Physical Appearance and Attributes, Behavior, Intellectual Competence and School Status, Anxiety, and Happiness and Satisfaction. Univariate model- fitting analyses were performed. In both samples, a model incorporating shared and nonshared environmental influences fitted the data best for Popularity, Anxiety, and Intellectual Competence and School Status, whereas a model including additive genetic and nonshared environmental factors provided the best fit for Physical Appearance and Attributes, and Behavior. The univariate model did not yield an adequate fit for Happiness and Satisfaction. For Physical Appearance and Attributes, and Intellectual Competence and School Status, estimates of additive genetic and environmental factors were significantly different between the MTFS and the STFS samples. For Popularity, Anxiety, and Behavior, however, the genetic and environmental estimates were comparable between the two samples.
Reproduction of Pratylenchus penetrans on various rotation crops in Quebec

La reproduction du nematode des lesions racinaires Pratylenchus penetrans a ete evaluee en serre sur 12 cultures de rotation. La moutarde brune (Brassica juncea) a ete la meilleure plante hote et a augmente de 17,2 fois la population initiale. Le soja (Glycine max), le millet japonais (Echinochloa frumentacea), le colza (B. napus), le sarrasin (Fagopyrum esculentum), la moutarde blanche (B. hirta), et le raygrass vivace (Lolium perenne) ont ete egalement tres efficaces a multiplier le nematode et n'etaient pas significativement differents du seigle (Secale cereale), une plante hote standard favorable. Le millet d'Italie (Setaria italica), l'avoine (Avena sativa), le mais (Zea mays), et le brome des pres (Bromus inermis) ont accru respectivement de 5,8, 5,7, 4,5 et 3,2 fois la population initiale mais de facon significativement moindre que le seigle. Le millet perle fourrager (Pennisetum glaucum) a presente le plus faible taux de multiplication, soit 0,4. Ces resultats nous indiquent que les cultures de rotation couramment recommandees sont favorables a l'accroissement des populations du P. penetrans dans le sol a l'exception du millet perle fourrager. Cette culture annuelle a un bon potentiel comme culture de rotation dans la repression des populations du nematode des lesions racinaires au Quebec.
Determinants of commercial bank liquidity in South Africa

I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . II DECLERATION . III LIST OF TABLES . VII LIST OF FIGURES. VIII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS . IX CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW . 1 1.
Effect of channel length on NBTI in sub-100nm CMOS technology

The channel length dependence of NBTI degradation in a sub-100 nm CMOS technology is studied. It is shown that the enhanced interface trap generation near the gate edge is primarily responsible for the channel length dependence of NBTI degradation. The possible contribution of oxide charges, although may not be ruled out, plays a less important role.
Disposition of basiliximab, an interleukin-2 receptor monoclonal antibody, in recipients of mismatched cadaver renal allografts.

BACKGROUND Basiliximab is an interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R; CD25) chimeric monoclonal antibody for immunoprophylaxis against acute rejection in renal transplantation. Its pharmacokinetics were characterized in a multicenter open-label, prospective dose-escalation study to identify a single-dose regimen providing IL-2R-saturating serum concentrations in the critical first posttransplant month. METHODS Thirty-two recipients of primary, mismatched cadaver kidneys were enrolled: 20 men and 12 women, who were 47+/-11 years old and weighed 65+/-12 kg. The immunosuppression regimen consisted of steroids and azathioprine from day 0 and cyclosporine from day 10. Basiliximab was infused over 30 min as a single dose preoperatively. RESULTS Thirty patients were evaluable for basiliximab pharmacokinetics: 24 received 40 mg and 6 received 60 mg. Basiliximab was well tolerated without evidence of cytokine-release syndrome, hypersensitivity reactions, or anti-idiotype antibody response. Peak concentration and area under the concentration curve increased proportionally with dose. Postinfusion concentrations declined in a biphasic manner with a terminal half-life of 6.5+/-2.1 days. Weak, widely dispersed correlations were noted between body weight versus distribution volume (r=0.29) and versus clearance (r=0.45), suggesting no clinical relevance for weight-adjusted dosing. There were no apparent gender-related differences in basiliximab disposition. Previous phase II data indicated that serum concentrations in excess of 0.2 microg/ml are sufficient to saturate IL-2R epitopes on circulating T lymphocytes. Concentrations were above this threshold for 26+/-8 days (range 16 to 46) at the 40-mg dose level and for 32+/-11 days (range 22 to 51) at the 60-mg dose level. CONCLUSIONS Total basiliximab doses of 40-60 mg were well tolerated, nonimmunogenic, and estimated to provide immunoprophylaxis to cover the first posttransplant month.