Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
urban Seismology in the taipei Metropolitan Area: review and Prospective

A strong collision between the Eurasian and Philippine Sea Plates causes high seismicity in the Taiwan region. A substantial number of cities and large towns exist on thick sediments in western Taiwan. Larger-magnitude inland earthquakes, for example the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake, can cause serious damage in urban areas. Consequently, urban seismology is of great interest to the local seismological community. The Taipei Metropolitan Area (TMA) is the political, economic, and cultural center of Taiwan. It is situated over a region where the Philippine Sea plate subducts the Eurasian plate. Although seismicity in the TMA is lower than other areas of Taiwan, earthquakes still occur. Seismic risk mitigation is of grave concern in the TMA because of its high population, number of tall buildings, mass rapid transit system, and two nearby nuclear power plants. In this article, procedures for seismic risk mitigation, previous studies, core issues for future research and related topics are described and reviewed.
Structure of the Fusarium oxysporum endoglucanase I with a nonhydrolyzable substrate analogue: substrate distortion gives rise to the preferred axial orientation for the leaving group.

Endoglucanase I (EG I) is a cellulase, from glycosyl hydrolase family 7, which cleaves the beta-1,4 linkages of cellulose with overall retention of configuration. The structure of the EG I from Fusarium oxysproum, complexed to a nonhydrolyzable thiooligosaccharide substrate analogue, has been determined by X-ray crystallography at a resolution of 2.7 A utilizing the 4-fold noncrystallographic symmetry present in the asymmetric unit. The electron density map clearly reveals the presence of three glucosyl units of the inhibitor, consistent with the known number of sugar-binding subsites, located at the active site of the enzyme in the -2, -1, and +1 subsites, i.e., actually spanning the point of enzymatic cleavage. The pyranose ring at the point of potential enzymatic cleavage is clearly distorted from the standard 4C1 chair as was originally suggested for beta-retaining enzymes by Phillips [Ford, L.O. , Johnson, L.N. , Machin, P. A. , Phillips, D.C., & Tijan, T. (1974) J. Mol. Biol, 88, 349-371]. The distortion observed goes beyond the "sofa" conformation observed in previous studies and results in a conformation whose salient feature is the resulting quasi-axial orientation for the glycosidic bond and leaving group, as predicted by stereoelectronic theory. An almost identical conformation has recently been observed in a complex of chitobiase with its unhydrolyzed substrate [Tews, I. , Perrakis, A. , Oppenheim, A. , Dauter, Z. , Wilson, K. S. , & Vorgias, C. E. (1996) Nat. Struct. Biol. 3, 638-648]. The striking similarity between these two complexes extends beyond the almost identical pyranose ring distortion. The overlap of the two respective sugars places the enzymatic nucleophile of endoglucanase I in coincidence with the C2 acetamido oxygen of N-acetylglucosamine in the catalytic site of the chitobiase, substantiating the involvement of this group in the catalytic mechanism of chitobiase and related chitinolytic enzymes. The endoglucanase I complex with the thiosaccharide substrate analogue clearly illustrates the potential of nonhydrolyzable sulfur-linked oligosaccharides in the elucidation of substrate binding and catalysis by glycosyl hydrolases.
Serum levels of growth hormone‐binding protein and insulin‐like growth factor‐I during puberty *

OBJECTIVE The aim was to investigate the effect of pubertal development on serum levels of growth hormone binding protein (GHBP) and IGF‐I, and to study the relationship between GHBP levels and height standard deviation score (SDS), nutritional state and IGF‐I levels. DESIGN AND PATIENTS The investigation was performed on serum samples from 72 healthy adolescents of different pubertal stage. Results were compared to those obtained in 46 prepubertal children.
Single clonal origin of neoplastic B‐cells with different immunoglobulin light chains in a patient with Richter's syndrome

A 71‐year‐oldman was found to have chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLC) simultaneously and was diagnosed as Richter's syndrome. The CLL had mu lambda surface immunoglobulin (sIg) whereas the DLC had mu kappa sIg. However, the immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangement and surface marker analysis demonstrated that both CLL and DLC had identical rearrangement patterns of the Ig heavy chain (IgH) and identical surface markers CD5+, CD19+, and CD20+. These facts imply that in this case the two malignancies are of single clonal origin initially, and that different sIg of CLL and DLC do not, therefore, necessarily indicate the biclonality of these malignancies. The origin of DLC in Richter's syndrome remains controversial. This case suggests difficulty in concluding the biclonality of these malignancies. for a conclusion on clonality to be definitive, there is a need for cloning and nucleotide sequencing of rearranged Ig genes in more patients with Richter's syndrome.
A maximum likelihood model for topic classification of broadcast news

We describe a new algorithm for topic classification that allows discrimination among thousands of topics. A mixture of topics explicitly models the fact that each story has multiple topics, that different words are related to different topics, and that most of the words are not related to any topic. The resulting model, trained by EM, has sharper distributions of words that result in more accurate topic classification. We tested the algorithm on transcribed broadcast news texts. When trained on one year of stories containing over 5,000 different topics and tested on new (later) stories the first choice topic was among the manually annotated choices 76% of the time.
Being diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection (STI): sources of support for young women

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are prevalent throughout the world with the rate of these infections increasing on a daily basis. STI acquisition has the ability to cause personal adversity and elicit feelings of stigma and shame. Aim: The aim of this paper is to report on the sources of support young women who acquired STIs drew on to overcome their associated adversity. Methods: This study utilised a feminist qualitative methodology. Findings: Findings revealed that the women drew on both personal and anonymous sources of support. Conclusion: Nurses and other health-care professionals need to be equipped with knowledge and strategies to promote personal wellbeing and minimise the adversity felt among people having acquired these infections.
Aging of Liver Transplant Registrants and Recipients: Trends and Impact on Waitlist Outcomes, Post-Transplantation Outcomes, and Transplant-Related Survival Benefit.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Epidemiologic factors have generated increased demand for liver transplantation among older patients. We aimed to describe trends in age among liver transplant registrants and recipients and the effect of age on waitlist and post-transplantation outcomes and on transplant-related survival benefit. METHODS We obtained data from the United Network for Organ Sharing on adults who were listed for liver transplantation (N = 122,606) or underwent liver transplantation (N = 60,820) from 2002 to 2014 in the United States. Competing risks analysis was used to model waitlist outcomes and Cox proportional hazards analysis to model post-transplantation survival. These models were also used to estimate 5-year transplant-related survival benefit for different age groups, calculated as the difference between waitlist and post-transplantation life expectancy. RESULTS Between 2002 and 2014, the mean age of liver transplant registrants increased from 51.2 to 55.7 years, with a more prominent increase in hepatitis C virus-positive (50.9-57.9 years) than hepatitis C virus-negative (51.3-54.3 years) registrants. The proportion of registrants aged ≥60 years increased from 19% to 41%. In hepatitis C virus-negative patients, aging trends were driven by increasing proportions of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Among transplant registrants, increasing age was associated with increasing mortality before transplantation and decreasing likelihood of transplantation. Among transplant recipients, increasing age was associated with increasing post-transplantation mortality. There was little difference in 5-year transplant-related survival benefit between different age groups who had the same Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score. CONCLUSIONS Dramatic aging of liver transplant registrants and recipients occurred from 2002 to 2014, driven by aging of the hepatitis C virus-positive cohort and increased prevalence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Increasing age does not affect transplant-related survival benefit substantially because age diminishes both post-transplantation survival and waitlist survival approximately equally.
Superior Retinaculoplasty for Recurrent Dislocation of Peroneal Tendons

Background: Although dislocation of peroneal tendons is an uncommon injury, if it does occur, daily and sports activities may be restricted because of snapping of the tendons and pain in the posterolateral aspect of the ankle joint. Many operative procedures have been reported for this pathology, including anatomic reattachment of the retinaculum, bone block procedures, tissue-transfer procedures, and groove-deepening. However, no procedure has been established as the “gold standard. ” Successful results were reported after anatomic reattachment of the detached superior peroneal retinaculum and periosteum of the fibula. We have modified the procedure to reduce operative invasiveness and introduced a method to determine proper tension when suturing the retinaculum to the fibula. Methods: In our retinaculoplasty, the false pouch was opened through one incision, and the retinaculum was sutured to the fibula while measuring the tension, avoiding too tight or too loose suturing. We performed this procedure in 20 patients with symptomatic dislocation of peroneal tendons in whom conservative treatment had failed. We followed them over 2 years, and clinical results were evaluated. Results: No patient had re-dislocation of the peroneal tendons during the followup period. Fifteen of 18 patients who had been involved in sports activities returned to their previous activities without reducing their activity levels. All patients acquired full range of motion of the ankle joint postoperatively. The preoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scores improved significantly (p value < 0.01) postoperatively. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the described repair successfully treated patients with symptomatic dislocation of the peroneal tendon and should be considered for this pathology.
Practical outcome of adjuvant FOLFOX4 chemotherapy in elderly patients with stage III colon cancer: single-center study in Korea.

OBJECTIVE Elderly patients derive similar benefits from 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy in Stage III colon cancer; however, conflicting data exist regarding additional benefit from oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFOX) chemotherapy. METHODS Single-center, retrospective analysis was performed to compare the safety and efficacy of adjuvant oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin-4 chemotherapy in older patients (age ≥65 years) with younger patients with Stage III colon cancer after surgical resection. RESULTS Among 391 patients with Stage III colon cancer, 229 patients received adjuvant oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin chemotherapy (87 (43.5%) ≥65 years old versus 142 (74.3%) <65 years old). Older patients had similar clinico-pathological characteristics as younger patients except for higher Charlson-Age comorbidity score (median 3.44 versus 2.85, P < 0.01). The estimated 3-year disease-free survival (76.5 versus 80.0%, P = 0.88) and 3-year overall survival (90.9 versus 92.7%, P = 0.98) were similar. Grade 3-4 neutropenia was the only toxicity with higher frequency in the elderly patients (62.1 versus 46.5%, P = 0.02). Elderly patients received a lower relative dose intensity of oxaliplatin (0.76 versus 0.79) and 5-fluorouracil (0.75 versus 0.80, P = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS Adjuvant oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin chemotherapy resulted in similar efficacy without significant increase in toxicity in older patients aged ≥65 when compared with younger patients with curatively resected Stage III colon cancer. Therefore, for colon cancer patients aged ≥65, oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin chemotherapy can be recommended as safe and effective adjuvant chemotherapy after curative surgery in Asia.
The power of Bayesian evidence in astronomy

We discuss the use of the Bayesian evidence ratio, or Bayes factor, for model selection in astronomy. We treat the evidence ratio as a statistic and investigate its distribution over an ensemble of experiments, considering both simple analytical examples and some more realistic cases, which require numerical simulation. We find that the evidence ratio is a noisy statistic, and thus it may not be sensible to decide to accept or reject a model based solely on whether the evidence ratio reaches some threshold value. The odds suggested by the evidence ratio bear no obvious relationship to the power or Type I error rate of a test based on the evidence ratio. The general performance of such tests is strongly affected by the signal-to-noise ratio in the data, the assumed priors and the threshold in the evidence ratio that is taken as ‘decisive’. The comprehensiveness of the model suite under consideration is also very important. The usefulness of the evidence ratio approach in a given problem can be assessed in advance of the experiment, using simple models and numerical approximations. In many cases, this approach can be as informative as a much more costly full-scale Bayesian analysis of a complex problem.
Selective Na+/Ca2+ exchanger inhibition prevents Ca2+ overload‐induced triggered arrhythmias

Augmented Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) activity may play a crucial role in cardiac arrhythmogenesis; however, data regarding the anti‐arrhythmic efficacy of NCX inhibition are debatable. Feasible explanations could be the unsatisfactory selectivity of NCX inhibitors and/or the dependence of the experimental model on the degree of Ca2+i overload. Hence, we used NCX inhibitors SEA0400 and the more selective ORM10103 to evaluate the efficacy of NCX inhibition against arrhythmogenic Ca2+i rise in conditions when [Ca2+]i was augmented via activation of the late sodium current (INaL) or inhibition of the Na+/K+ pump.
HER Family Receptors are Important Theranostic Biomarkers for Cervical Cancer: Blocking Glucose Metabolism Enhances the Therapeutic Effect of HER Inhibitors

Persistent HPV infection alone is not sufficient for cervical cancer development, which requires additional molecular alterations for tumor progression and metastasis ultimately leading to a lethal disease. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of HER family receptor alterations in cervical adenocarcinoma. We detected overexpression of HER protein, mainly HER2, which was an independent prognostic marker for these patients. By using in vitro and in vivo approaches, we provided evidence that HER inhibitors, allitinib and lapatinib, were effective in reducing cervical cancer aggressiveness. Furthermore, combination of these drugs with glucose uptake blockers could overcome the putative HIF1-α-mediated resistance to HER-targeted therapies. Thus, we propose that the use of HER inhibitors in association with glycolysis blockers can be a potentially effective treatment option for HER-positive cervical cancer patients.
Pharmacokinetics of Olanzapine After Single‐Dose Oral Administration of Standard Tablet Versus Normal and Sublingual Administration of an Orally Disintegrating Tablet in Normal Volunteers

Olanzapine (OLZ) is a second‐generation antipsychotic agent available in 2 solid oral dosage forms, a standard oral tablet (SOT) and an orally disintegrating tablet (ODT). This study assessed the absorption of each by different routes of administration. Secondarily, the influence of P‐glycoprotein (P‐gp) genotype was assessed. It was hypothesized that more rapid absorption of the OLZ ODT would occur when administered sublingually versus standard oral administration. A randomized, 3‐way crossover study assessed the 5‐mg OLZ formulations in healthy volunteers (n = 10). Blood was collected (0–8 hours) to assess OLZ pharmacokinetics using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Both routes of ODT administration resulted in more measurable early concentraions relative to SOT. However, there were no statistically significant differences observed between any of the OLZ exposures for observed pharmacokinetic parameters (Cmax, Tmax, AUC0–8h). The homozygous TT genotype for P‐gp resulted in an increased AUC of OLZ for SOT administration but not for either condition where sublingual absorption could occur.
Nanostructured superconducting thin-film magnetic field concentrator

A superconducting thin-film magnetic field concentrator is investigated. It is established that nanostructuring of the concentrator active strip in superconducting branches and 20-nm cuts allows the concentration factor of the device to be multiply increased and, therefore, the threshold sensitivity of the magnetic field sensor to be significantly lowered. The concentration factor of the magnetic field concentrator based on low-temperature superconductor films appears higher than that of the concentrator based on high-temperature superconductor films.
Transplantation of fetal liver epithelial progenitor cells ameliorates experimental liver fibrosis in mice.

AIM To investigate the effect of transplanted fetal liver epithelial progenitor (FLEP) cells on liver fibrosis in mice. METHODS FLEP cells were isolated from embryonal day (ED) 14 BALB/c mice and transplanted into female syngenic BALB/c mice (n = 60). After partial hepatectomy (PH), diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was administered to induce liver fibrosis. Controls received FLEP cells and non-supplemented drinking water, the model group received DEN-spiked water, and the experimental group received FLEP cells and DEN. Mice were killed after 1, 2, and 3 mo, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hyaluronic acid (HA), and laminin (LN) in serum, and hydroxyproline (Hyp) content in liver were assessed. Alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) of liver was tested by immunohistochemistry. Transplanted male mice FLEP cells were identified by immunocytochemistry for sry (sex determination region for Y chromosome) protein. RESULTS Serum ALT, AST, HA, and LN were markedly reduced by transplanted FLEP cells. Liver Hyp content and alpha-SMA staining in mice receiving FLEP cells were lower than that of the model group, which was consistent with altered liver pathology. Transplanted cells proliferated and differentiated into hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells with 30%-50% repopulation in the liver fibrosis induced by DEN after 3 mo. CONCLUSION Transplanted FLEP cells proliferate and differentiate into hepatocytes and bile duct epithelial cells with high repopulation capacity in the fiberized liver induced by DEN, which restores liver function and reduces liver fibrosis.
Increased plasma norepinephrine response to yohimbine in elderly men.

BACKGROUND The effects of aging on sympathetic nervous system and adrenomedullary outflow were estimated by the measurement of plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) responses to yohimbine and clonidine in healthy young and healthy older subjects. METHODS Yohimbine (0.65 mg/kg), clonidine (5 microg/kg), and placebo were administered on separate days in random order to 5 healthy older men (age 74 +/- 1 years) and 18 healthy young men (age 26 +/- 1 years). NE and EPI were measured by radioenzymatic assay in plasma samples obtained before and 30, 60, and 90 minutes after drug administration. RESULTS Plasma NE increases after yohimbine were greater in older men than in young men. but plasma NE decreases following clonidine did not differ between groups. Plasma NE and systolic blood pressure were higher in older men than in young men at baseline but no longer differed 90 minutes after clonidine. Plasma EPI increases after yohimbine and decreases after clonidine did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest increased sympathetic nervous system outflow in human aging that is not a function of reduced responsiveness of alpha-2 adrenoreceptor-mediated feedback inhibition.
Psychometric Analysis of the Emotional Tone Rating Scale: A Measure of Person-Centered Communication

Psychometric analysis of the Emotional Tone Rating Scale (ETRS) was completed using ratings of naïve listeners who evaluated staff-resident communication in three nursing homes. Interrater consistency was high with ICC (2, 1) for agreement = . 95 and consistency = . 95. Factor analysis revealed two factors—person-centered communication and controlling communication—that explained 84.8% of the variance. Person-centered communication included seven descriptors (items) with loadings ranging from . 84 to . 98 and a coefficient alpha of . 98. Controlling communication included five items that loaded from –. 63 to . 99 with a coefficient alpha of . 94. These factors were negatively correlated (p = –.64) and demonstrated good ranges, standard deviations, and high item-total correlations. Person-centered communication correlated with higher resident engagement in conversation in contrast to controlling communication. The ETRS provides a measure of person-centered communication that can be used to evaluate interactions between nursing staff and older adults who reside in long term care settings.
A NOTE Direct microscopy of Bacillus endospore germination in soil microcosms

Antagonistic endospore‐forming Bacillus spp. offer a large potential as seed inoculants for control of soil‐borne pathogens. In the soil, however, inoculated Bacillus endospores may remain dormant without germination, and plant protection can therefore be inefficient and unpredictable. A method based on direct fluorescence microscopy in soil microcosms was used to determine whether low‐cost organic additives incorporated into seed coating material could stimulate endospore germination. Complex organic additives supported a high level of endospore germination of the fungal antagonist Paenibacillus polymyxa CM5‐5. Skim milk is a low‐cost additive that may be incorporated into seed coating material for efficient induction of Bacillus endospore germination in soil.