Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Binding Kinetics, Structure-Activity Relationship, and Biotransformation of the Complement Inhibitor Compstatin1

We have previously identified a 13-residue cyclic peptide, Compstatin, that binds to complement component C3 and inhibits complement activation. Herein, we describe the binding kinetics, structure-activity relationship, and biotransformation of Compstatin. Biomolecular interaction analysis using surface-plasmon resonance showed that Compstatin bound to native C3 and its fragments C3b and C3c, but not C3d. While binding of Compstatin to native C3 was biphasic, binding to C3b and C3c followed the 1:1 Langmuir binding model; the affinities of Compstatin for C3b and C3c were 22- and 74-fold lower, respectively, than that of native C3. Analysis of Compstatin analogs synthesized for structure-function studies indicated that 1) the 11-membered ring between disulfide-linked Cys2-Cys12 constitutes a minimal structure required for optimal activity; 2) retro-inverso isomerization results in loss of inhibitory activity; and 3) some residues of the type I β-turn segment also interact with C3. In vitro studies of Compstatin in human blood indicated that a major pathway of biotransformation was the removal of Ile1, which could be blocked by N-acetylation of the peptide. These findings indicate that acetylated Compstatin is stable against enzymatic degradation and that the type I β-turn segment is not only critical for preservation of the conformational stability, but also involved in intermolecular recognition.
The impossibility of capitalist markets in higher education

For more than two decades, governments around the world, led by the English-speaking polities, have moved higher education systems closer to the forms of textbook economic markets. Reforms include corporatisation, competitive funding, student charges, output formats and performance reporting. But, no country has established a bona fide economic market in the first-degree education of domestic students. No research university is driven by shareholders, profit, market share, allocative efficiency or the commodity form. There is commercial tuition only in parts of vocational training and international education. While intensified competition, entrepreneurship and consumer talk are pervasive in higher education, capitalism is not very important. At the most, there are regulated quasi-markets, as in post-Browne UK. This differs from the experience of privatisation and commercialisation of transport, communications, broadcasting and health insurance in many nations. The article argues that bona fide market reform in higher education is constrained by intrinsic limits specific to the sector (public goods, status competition), and political factors associated with those limits. This suggests that market reform is utopian, and the abstract ideal is sustained for exogenous policy reasons (e.g. fiscal reduction, state control, ordering of contents). But, if capitalist markets are clearly unachievable, a more authentic modernisation agenda is needed.
Commonalities in the time trends of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis

OBJECTIVE:The analysis of the time trends of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a powerful research tool to assess the contribution of environmental factors to its etiology and to gain insights about possible causative mechanisms. A previous study revealed a characteristic relationship between the time trends of mortality from Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The present study aimed to test whether the most recent temporal patterns still corroborate the hypothesis of two interacting risk factors in the development of IBD. The time trends of IBD from six countries were checked for common features.METHODS:Mortality data from Australia, Canada, England and Wales, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States were analyzed. Age- and sex-specific death rates, as well as total death rates, from Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis were plotted against the period of death.RESULTS:Mortality from ulcerative colitis decreased continuously during the past 40 years. Mortality from Crohn's disease increased between 1950 and the mid-1970's until reaching a similar level as mortality from ulcerative colitis. Since then the death rates of both diseases have followed a parallel time course. A similar behavior was found, if male and female data were analyzed separately. It could be also discerned in the time trends of each age group. The data from all six countries revealed identical temporal patterns.CONCLUSIONS:The similar time trends of IBD from different countries support the hypothesis that identical causative mechanisms are responsible for the mortality and the occurrence of IBD among populations characterized by different political history and health care systems. The rapidity of the temporal changes implicates environmental agents in the etiology of both diseases. The relationships between the temporal changes of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis point at the existence of a shared risk factor responsible for the occurrence of both diseases, and at the existence of at least one additional factor, responsible for the expression of Crohn's disease alone.
Fall risk and medication : new methods for the assessment of risk factors in commonly used medicines

Alcohol is a commonly used social drug and driving under influence is a well-established risk factor for traffic accidents. To improve road safety, legal limits are set for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and driving, usually at 0.05% (most European countries) or 0.08% (most US states, Canada and UK). In contrast, for walking there are no legal limits, yet there are numerous accounts of people stumbling and falling after drinking. Alcohol, even at these low concentrations, affects brain function and increases fall risk. An increased fall risk has been associated with impaired obstacle avoidance skills. Low level BACs are likely to affect obstacle avoidance reactions during gait, since the brain areas that are presumably involved in these reactions have been shown to be influenced by alcohol. Therefore we investigated the effect of low to moderate alcohol consumption on such reactions. Thirteen healthy senior individuals (mean(SD) age: 61.5(4.4) years, 9 male) were subjected to an obstacle avoidance task on a treadmill after low alcohol consumption. Fast stepping adjustments were required to successfully avoid suddenly appearing obstacles. Response times and amplitudes of the m. biceps femoris, a prime mover, as well as avoidance failure rates were assessed. After the first alcoholic drink, 12 of the 13 participants already had slower responses. Without exception, all participants’ biceps femoris response times were delayed after the final alcoholic drink (avg±sd:180±20ms; p<0.001) compared to when participants were sober (156±16ms). Biceps femoris response times were significantly delayed from BACs of 0.035% onwards and were strongly associated with increasing levels of BAC ( r= 0.6; p<0.001). These delays had important behavioural consequences. Chances of hitting the obstacle were doubled with increased BACs. The present results clearly show that even with BACs considered to be safe for driving, obstacle avoidance reactions are inadequate, late, and too small. This is likely to contribute to an increased fall risk. Therefore we suggest that many of the alcohol-related falls are the result of the disruptive effects of alcohol on the online corrections of the ongoing gait pattern when walking under challenging
Causality Between Tfp, R&D And Prices: Unconditional And Conditional Linear Feedback

This paper estimates the unconditional and conditional linear dependence between exogenous supply (R&D), endogenous demand (prices) and TFP based on the linear feedback method. Unit root tests are performed for Nebraska agriculture sector data spread over 1936-94 time period. Results indicate the influence of both R&D and prices on productivity.
AIS Electronic

This work investigates facilitation of interaction through Online Social Networks by examining the feedback which user-generated content triggers on Facebook. In the light of growing friend lists and corresponding issues of Information Overload, the analysis examines feedback upon message posts as a function of (1) the number of friends the originator has, and (2) the frequency at which he or she posts. Therefore, 6,705 messages are analyzed with respect to the feedback they triggered. Two different qualities of feedback are distinguished: (1) the number of people who comment on a message, and (2) the number of people who 'like' a message. The results show that both people with a small number of friends, as well as people with an abundance of friends receive less feedback upon their messages than those with a moderate friend count. Interestingly, the frequency at which people post messages does not appear to have a direct effect on feedback. Implications for both platform providers and users are discussed.
ECONOMIC VALUES FOR PRODUCTION TRAITS IN SANTA INÊS SHEEP

INTRODUCTION During the last 10 years meat sheep production has been increasing in Central West and South East Brazil. Santa Ines, a Brazilian breed of hair sheep, is the major contributor for this development because it is easy to obtain and cheap to acquire, breeds all year round and complies with the farmers’ shearing aversion. Most farms in those regions sell lambs on a live weight basis, with prices and standards set by slaughter firms. In 2003 a cooperative was created in Minas Gerais state whereupon the lamb marketing basis changed to carcass weight. Despite the Santa Ines breed being used for meat production, selection is based mostly on type only, and breeding programmes are often discontinued (Morais, 2000). Although estimates of genetic parameters are available for some traits, a formal definition of breeding objectives based in economic values of traits is lacking. According to James (1982), an efficient selection for the wrong objective may be worse than no selection at all. Ponzoni and Newman (1989) stressed that the derivation of the economic value of each trait influencing income and inputs is a crucial step in the development of breeding objective.
Assessment of myocardial function in neonates using tissue Doppler imaging

Objective To measure the left and right ventricular myocardial velocities using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in the first 24 h of life in neonates. Design Left and right ventricular peak systolic (S′), early diastolic (E′) and late diastolic (A′) myocardial velocities were measured using TDI alongside standard echocardiography (including peak diastolic atrioventricular flow, E). E/E′ ratio was calculated for both ventricles. Setting UK neonatal intensive care unit. Patients 43 neonates were prospectively recruited into three groups: term (n=16), preterm (30–36 weeks, n=12) and very preterm (<30 weeks, n=15). Results Myocardial velocities increased with increasing gestation. Right ventricular velocities were significantly greater than left. E/E′ ratio decreased with increasing gestation. Left E/E′ ratio was higher than right in each group. Conclusions TDI is feasible in preterm neonates and enables the acquisition of myocardial velocities. With increasing gestation, higher myocardial velocities and lower E/E′ ratios were found. The addition of TDI to standard neonatal echocardiography may provide additional information about cardiac function.
Casemix Accounting Systems: New Spaces for Action

This paper discusses the implementation of a casemix accounting system within a large New Zealand public hospital. In the context of health care, casemix accounting systems are involved in attempts to increase the cost-consciousness of clinicians through the rationalisation and codification of clinical activity. The paper considers the power effects of casemix accounting using a perspective that views such information and control systems as disciplinary technologies. The complex and contradictory setting of the hospital characterised by a negotiated order meant that while the casemix accounting system did appear to provide some controlling influence, it also produced forms of resistance on the part of the clinicians. Our experience suggests that such systems are best thought of as making possible a new discursive space within which all organisational participants, in this case both management and clinicians, can act.
Playing devious games, budget‐emphasis in performance evaluation, and attitudes towards the budgetary process

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the moderating effect of playing devious games on the relationship between budget‐emphasis in performance evaluation and attitudes towards the budgetary process.Design/methodology/approach – A survey questionnaire was selected. A hierarchical regression was used to analyze the data gathered from 216 Taiwanese managers in listed companies.Findings – The results indicate that playing devious games to obtain extra budget requests moderated the relationships of budget‐emphasis in performance evaluation and attitudes towards the budgetary process. The relationships were strong and positive when playing devious games was low, and weak when playing devious games was high.Research limitations/implications – The study depends on manager questionnaire responses and thus variations in emotional responses are a concern. In addition, it remains problematic to question managers regarding their engagement in dysfunctional behaviors because managers may not wish to public.
A novel low power 6-bit FLASH ADC using charge steering amplifier for RF applications

In this paper we present a novel low power 6-bit Flash analog-to-digital converter design using charge steering amplifier for RF applications. The architecture and performance of the designed ADC is described in detail and compared with conventional and other Flash ADCs. The proposed design offers lower power consumption by using a charge-steering amplifier based comparator; the power supply voltage is 0.7 V minimum which makes this design adaptable to wide variety of RF based System-on-Chip (SoC) applications. The ADC is designed in 28nm standard CMOS process with operating sampling frequency of 1GS/s and the performance parameters DNL and INL are ±0.3 LSB and ±0.35 LSB respectively, spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) is 39 dB, signal-to-noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) is 37.15 dB, effective number of bits (ENOB) is 5.88 bits, power consumption is 3.57 mW @ 0.7 V supply voltage and FOM is 60.6 fJ/conversion-step.
Basinal restriction, black shales, Re‐Os dating, and the Early Toarcian (Jurassic) oceanic anoxic event

[1] Profiles of Mo/total organic carbon (TOC) through the Lower Toarcian black shales of the Cleveland Basin, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, and the Posidonia shale of Germany and Switzerland reveal water mass restriction during the interval from late tenuicostatum Zone times to early bifrons Zone times, times which include that of the putative Early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event. The degree of restriction is revealed by crossplots of Mo and TOC concentrations for the Cleveland Basin, which define two linear arrays with regression slopes (ppm/%) of 0.5 and 17. The slope of 0.5 applies to sediment from the upper semicelatum and exaratum Subzones. This value, which is one tenth of that for modern sediments from the Black Sea (Mo/TOC regression slope 4.5), reveals that water mass restriction during this interval was around 10 times more severe than in the modern Black Sea; the renewal frequency of the water mass was between 4 and 40 ka. The Mo/TOC regression slope of 17 applies to the overlying falciferum and commune subzones: the value shows that restriction in this interval was less severe and that the renewal frequency of the water mass was between 10 and 130 years. The more restricted of the two intervals has been termed the Early Toarcian oceanic anoxic event but is shown to be an event caused by basin restriction local to NW Europe. Crossplots of Re, Os, and Mo against TOC show similar trends of increasing element concentration with increase in TOC but with differing slopes. Together with modeling of 187 Os/ 188 Os and d 98 Mo, the element/TOC trends show that drawdown of Re, Os, and Mo was essentially complete during upper semicelatum and exaratum Subzone times (Mo/TOC regression slope of 0.5). Drawdown sensitized the restricted water mass to isotopic change forced by freshwater mixing so that continental inputs of Re, Os, and Mo, via a low-salinity surface layer, created isotopic excursions of up to 1.3% in d 98 Mo and up to 0.6% for 187 Os/ 188 Os. Restriction thereby compromises attempts to date Toarcian black shales, and possibly all black shales, using Re-Os chronology and introduces a confounding influence in the attempts to use d 98 Mo and initial 187 Os/ 188 Os for palaeo-oceanographic interpretation.
Gluten-free diet decreases urinary peptide levels in children with celiac disease.

BACKGROUND Increased urine secretion of peptides has been found in celiac disease, probably resulting from increased intestinal uptake of peptides caused by damage to the small gut mucosa. METHODS High-performance liquid chromatography of low-molecular-weight peptides in the urine was performed over 6 months, before and after a gluten-free diet was instituted in children who clinically improved while consuming the diet. RESULTS A significant decrease of peptide levels was observed in children consuming the gluten-free diet. Certain peptide peaks thought to be gluten related decreased the most after the patients began the diet. CONCLUSIONS Because the peptides decrease in patients consuming a gluten-free diet, it is reasonable to conclude that such peptides have a mostly dietary origin.
One‐year survey of astrovirus infection in children with gastroenteritis in a large hospital in Hungary: Occurrence and genetic analysis of astroviruses

Human astroviruses (HAstV) are the causative agents of viral gastroenteritis mainly in children worldwide. This study investigated the epidemiology and genotype diversity of HAstVs detected in children admitted to hospital with gastroenteritis in Hungary. Stool samples were collected from children with diarrhea at the Municipal “Szent László” Hospital, Budapest, Hungary, between January 2002 and December 2002. Of 2,758 samples, 607 were negative for both rotaviruses and bacterial pathogens and were tested for astroviruses using a reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) targeting the open reading frame (ORF2), capsid region. Astrovirus was detected in 10 samples (1.6%) by RT‐PCR. Astrovirus infection was more frequent among children 49 to 60 months of age. Genotyping of positive samples was performed by type‐specific RT‐PCR and confirmed by sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using a 203 nucleotide consensus length of the 3′‐end of the capsid gene. Type‐specific RT‐PCR and sequence analysis detected genotypes 1 (50%), 4 (30%), 3 (10%), and 8 (10%) among the children admitted to hospital. Genotype 1 was the predominant genotype, but genotypes 3, 4, and 8 were also present indicating the importance of emerging genotype 8 infections. Two distinct genotype 4 variants were observed during this study. Sequence analysis confirmed type‐specific RT‐PCR results in the capsid region. This is the first comprehensive report on the occurrence of HAstV infections in Central/Eastern Europe. J. Med. Virol. 74:71–77, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Health effects of depleted uranium on exposed Gulf War veterans.

A small group of Gulf War veterans possess retained fragments of depleted uranium (DU) shrapnel, the long-term health consequences of which are undetermined. We evaluated the clinical health effects of DU exposure in Gulf War veterans compared with nonexposed Gulf War veterans. History and follow-up medical examination were performed on 29 exposed veterans and 38 nonexposed veterans. Outcome measures employed were urinary uranium determinations, clinical laboratory values, and psychiatric and neurocognitive assessment. DU-exposed Gulf War veterans with retained metal shrapnel fragments are excreting elevated levels of urinary uranium 7 years after first exposure (range 0.01-30.7 microg/g creatinine vs 0.01- 0.05 microg/g creatinine in the nonexposed). The persistence of the elevated urine uranium suggests on-going mobilization from a storage depot which results in a chronic systemic exposure. Adverse effects in the kidney, a presumed target organ, are not present at this time, though other effects are observed. Neurocognitive examinations demonstrated a statistical relationship between urine uranium levels and lowered performance on computerized tests assessing performance efficiency. Elevated urinary uranium was statistically related to a high prolactin level (>1.6 ng/ml; P=0.04). More than 7 years after first exposure, DU-exposed Gulf War veterans with retained metal fragments continue to excrete elevated concentrations of urinary uranium. Effects related to this are subtle perturbations in the reproductive and central nervous systems.
Research In Strategy, Economics, and Michael Porter*

This article links up with recent discussions of the strategy/economics nexus. In contrast to most of the proponents and opponents of economics in strategy thinking, a balanced pluralist perspective is adopted. According to this, a discipline should strike a balance between the generation of new theoretical alternatives and the selection among them. Applying this general idea, I argue that the strategy field is too pluralistic, and that the unfortunate consequences of excessive pluralism and eclecticism may be remedied by economics playing a larger role in the conversation of strategy researchers. This does not necessarily mean standard neoclassical economics or new industrial organization economics; evolutionary economics, for example, is a serious contender, too. the evolution of Michael Porter's thinking is used as a case for demonstrating some of the advantages and some of the dangers of economics in the strategy field, and for illustrating points about eclecticism and pluralism.
Effects of Serenoa repens Alcohol Extract on Benign Prostate Hyperplasia

Abstract An increasing tendency has recently emerged for the use of phytotherapeutic agents as alternative to commercial pharmacological agents for the treatment of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Serenoa repens alcohol extract treatment on BPH patients’ symptoms and major parameters during one-year follow-up. The study was performed on 70 men aged 40 - 79 years (mean 60.58) with symptomatic BPH that were divided into a group of 40 patients treated with Serenoa repens extract (SRT) and a control group of 30 patients that received no treatment and were observed only. The following parameters were determined at the time of diagnosis (baseline), and after 6 and 12 months: prostate size, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and uroflowmetry parameters including maximum flow rate (MFR), average flow rate (AFR) and post-voiding residual volume (PVRV). In addition, the relevant patient symptoms were evaluated using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) system. The patients in the SRT group showed a statistically significant increment of the average MFR and AFR values and reduction of PV relative to the control group (p<0.05). The significant differences between the proportion of patients with prostate volume >40 ml in the SRE treated group vs. control group was observed (p<0.05). The mean IPSS score was highly significantly reduced in the SRT group (p<0.01). The mild improvements of the urine flow, prostate size and IPSS score during 12 months treatment with the Serenoa repens extract indicate possible efficiency of this phytotherapeutic agent in patients with BPH.