Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Posttransplant Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome Is Associated with Bronchial Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition

Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) compromises lung transplant outcomes and is characterised by airway epithelial damage and fibrosis. The process whereby the normal epithelial configuration is replaced by fibroblastic scar tissue is poorly understood, but recent studies have implicated epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). The primary aim of this study was to assess the utility of flow cytometry in detecting and quantifying EMT in bronchial epithelial cells.
Creative interpersonal problem solving program: Igniting creativity in elementary students

Improving problem solving skills of elementary students would facilitate their confrontation with everyday conflict situations in this fast-changing world. Because of the importance of acquiring problem solving skills for young students, a creative interpersonal problem solving training program was developed, and its effectiveness on creativity of the elementary students was evaluated. The design of the study was semi-experimental with pretest-posttest and control group. Among 5 different classes including 84 students from 3 different all-girl schools in north Tehran, 2 classes with 49 students were randomly assigned as experimental and 2 classes with 35 students were assigned as the control groups. The experiment group participated in the creative interpersonal problem solving program, while the control group did not receive any treatment. Torrance Test of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1990) was used to evaluate creative thinking skills of the participants. The obtained data were analyzed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance. The findings showed significant differences (p<0.05) between the experimental and the control groups in all subscales of creativity. At the end, applying creative interpersonal problem solving program for improving interpersonal problem solving and creativity in elementary girls was discussed. Discussions as well as suggestions for future research are presented.
Naturally occurring α-synuclein autoantibody levels are lower in patients with Parkinson disease

Objective: Biomarkers are required for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression in Parkinson disease (PD). To date, most studies have concentrated on α-synuclein (α-Syn), a protein involved in Parkinson disease pathogenesis, as a potential biomarker, with inconsistent outcomes. Recently, naturally occurring autoantibodies against α-Syn (α-Syn-nAbs) have been detected in the serum of patients with PD. They represent a putative diagnostic marker for PD. Methods: We established and validated an ELISA to quantify α-Syn-nAbs in serum samples. We analyzed serum samples from 62 patients with PD, 46 healthy controls (HC), and 42 patients with Alzheimer disease (AD) using this newly established ELISA. Additionally, serum levels of endogenous α-Syn were measured. Results: There was a significant difference in α-Syn-nAbs levels between the investigated groups (p = 0.005; Kruskal-Wallis test). Levels of α-Syn-nAbs were significantly lower in patients with PD compared to HC (p < 0.05; Dunn multiple comparison post hoc test) or patients with AD (p < 0.05). Furthermore, we detected no difference between patients with AD and HC. The sensitivity and specificity of the assay for patients with PD vs HC were 85% and 25%, respectively. The α-Syn-nAbs levels did not correlate with age, Hoehn & Yahr status, or duration of disease. Endogenous α-Syn had no influence on α-Syn-nAbs levels in sera. Conclusions: Using a well-validated assay, we detected reduced α-Syn-nAbs levels in patients with PD compared to patients with AD and HC. The assay did not achieve criteria for use as a diagnostic tool to reliably distinguish PD from HC. Further studies are needed to assess α-Syn-nAbs as a biomarker in PD.
The International Politics of Genetically Modified Food : Diplomacy , International Trade and Environmental Law

Since the early 1990s the US government policy has treated agbiotech as technological progress yielding beneficial products which warrant no special label, and whose safety can be readily demonstrated through ‘sound science’. Federal agencies readily approved or deregulated GM crops for cultivation and other uses. Food regulators routinely accepted company claims that GM foods had substantial equivalence with a safe counterpart, as grounds not to require safety approval.
ATP-dependent RecG Helicase Is Required for the Transcriptional Regulator OxyR Function in Pseudomonas species*

Background: The oxyR and recG genes appeared to be located within the same operon in many bacteria. Results: OxyR and RecG might work together to control the expression of oxidative stress-related genes. Conclusion: RecG might be required for the induction of the OxyR regulon by unwinding palindromic DNA for transcription. Significance: This provides novel insights into the oxidative stress transcriptional machinery in Pseudomonas. The oxyR gene appears to reside in an operon with the recG helicase gene in many bacteria, including pathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas putida. Analysis of P. putida transcriptomes shows that many OxyR-controlled genes are regulated by the ATP-dependent RecG helicase and that RecG alone modulates the expression of many genes. We found that purified RecG binds to the promoters of many OxyR-controlled genes and that expression of these genes was not induced under conditions of oxidative stress in recG mutants of P. aeruginosa, P. putida, and Escherichia coli. In vitro data revealed that promoters containing palindromic sequences are essential for RecG binding and that single-strand binding proteins and ATP are also needed for RecG to promote transcription, whereas a magnesium ion has the opposite effect. The OxyR tetramer preferentially binds to promoters after RecG has generated linear DNA in the presence of ATP; otherwise, the OxyR dimer has higher affinity. This study provides new insights into the mechanism of bacterial transcription by demonstrating that RecG might be required for the induction of the OxyR regulon by unwinding palindromic DNA for transcription. This work describes a novel bacterial transcriptional function by RecG helicase with OxyR and may provide new targets for controlling Pseudomonas species pathogen.
An Ageless Gift: Reciprocity and Value Creation By and For Older Workers

Much of the extant literature views older workers through the lenses of human capital theory or ageism and age discrimination, both of which emphasise older workers’ value deficit. Using the case of a company that employs older workers, this article explores how ongoing exchanges between the organisation, its employees and its customers create three inter-related types of value: surplus value, staging value and accrual value. The organisation extracts surplus value by employing an older workforce who, grateful for employment during older age, reciprocate by drawing on embodied social capital to gift staging value, which sees customers reciprocate by endorsing the organisation’s products. Employment in this case is viewed as extending beyond pure commodity exchange to incorporate elements of gift exchange. The ongoing interaction and exchange with others through their work is the means by which the employees attach accrual value to themselves, thereby reproducing the good and proper ageing subject.
FFT averaging of multichannel BCG signals from bed mattress sensor to improve estimation of heart beat interval

A multichannel pressure sensing Emfit foil was integrated to a bed mattress for measuring ballistocardiograph signals during sleep. We calculated the heart beat interval with cepstrum method, by applying FFT for short time windows including pair of consequent heart beats. We decreased the variance of FFT by averaging the multichannel data in the frequency domain. Relative error of our method in reference to electrocardiograph RR interval was only 0.35% for 15 night recordings with six normal subjects, when 12% of data was automatically removed due to movement artifacts. Background motivation for this work is given from the studies applying heart rate variability for the sleep staging.
Neuronal Intermediate Filament Expression During Neurite Outgrowth from Explanted Goldfish Retina: Effect of Retinoic Acid

Abstract: Regulation of the goldfish neuronal intermediate filament proteins ON1 and ON2 was investigated in a retinal explant system. The synthesis of these proteins in explanted retina decreased with increasing time in culture, despite continuing neurite outgrowth. Thus, ON1/ON2 neurofilament expression is regulated independently from neurite outgrowth. During regeneration of the goldfish optic nerve in vivo, the expression of these proteins increased during the later phase of the process, when growing axons make contact with the optic tectum. The declining synthesis of ON1 and ON2 during neurite outgrowth in culture suggests that factors extrinsic to the retina are necessary to support synthesis of these proteins.
Electromagnetic axisymmetric analysis of monopole antenna over a perfectly electric ground plane by a Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin method

This work describes a meshless method to obtain the electromagnetic characteristics of a monopole placed over a perfectly electric ground plane. The Meshless Local Petrov-Galerkin is used with shape functions generated by Moving Least Squares. Boundary conditions are imposed by a collocation method that does not require any numerical integration. The proposed axisymmetric analysis has a simple implementation and reduced computational effort. The results are in agreement with theoretical data and simulations found in the literature.
THE THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO ASSESSING EFFECTS OF MILITARY EXPENDITURE ON GROWTH

Research of the relationship between economic growth and military expenditures has been one of the central issues in the economic debates since 1980s, but the theorists failed to come to consensus on this issue via empirical studies. Hence, studies of some statistical evidence suggest logical question: whether military expenditures contribute to economic growth, or on the contrary, economic growth enables to increase countries military spending? In this paper, we have analyzed the main economic thought school’s approaches to assessment of military expenditure impact on growth, in order to reveal the mechanisms of this impact. Then by statistical analysis we have found out how the relationship between military expenditure and GDP was manifested in Armenia. Based on the analysis results, we concluded that military expenditures haven’t stimulated GDP growth in Armenia.
Search and Information Frictions on Global E-Commerce Platforms: Evidence from AliExpress

Global e-commerce platforms provide a promising avenue that connects sellers and buyers from different parts of the world. In this project, we begin by documenting a few new stylized facts about exporter dynamics on global e-commerce platforms using data from Aliexpress. These facts indicate substantial search and information frictions in this market, due to the large number of market participants and significant ex-ante heterogeneity in quality. These imply that initial demand shocks could have a persistent impact on growth and performance can be quite path-dependent. Motivated by by the empirical facts, we design an experiment where we randomly generate demand and information shocks to a set of small perspective exporters via randomly placed orders and reviews. We follow all sellers for 3 months and collect a rich set of firm performance and quality data to estimate the extent of search and information frictions. Our findings suggest that initial demand shocks significantly boost subsequent sales among the treated sellers. Information on product quality seems to matter more compared to information on shipping quality, suggesting that the former may be the major type of asymmetric information between the two sides of the market. We further explore other potential determinants of growth and heterogeneity in the treatment effect.
Mutational Analysis of Class A and Class B Penicillin-Binding Proteins in Streptococcus gordonii

ABSTRACT High-molecular-weight (HMW) penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) are divided into class A and class B PBPs, which are bifunctional transpeptidases/transglycosylases and monofunctional transpeptidases, respectively. We determined the sequences for the HMW PBP genes of Streptococcus gordonii, a gingivo-dental commensal related to Streptococcus pneumoniae. Five HMW PBPs were identified, including three class A (PBPs 1A, 1B, and 2A) and two class B (PBPs 2B and 2X) PBPs, by homology with those of S. pneumoniae and by radiolabeling with [3H]penicillin. Single and double deletions of each of them were achieved by allelic replacement. All could be deleted, except for PBP 2X, which was essential. Morphological alterations occurred after deletion of PBP 1A (lozenge shape), PBP 2A (separation defect and chaining), and PBP 2B (aberrant septation and premature lysis) but not PBP 1B. The muropeptide cross-link patterns remained similar in all strains, indicating that cross-linkage for one missing PBP could be replaced by others. However, PBP 1A mutants presented shorter glycan chains (by 30%) and a relative decrease (25%) in one monomer stem peptide. Growth rate and viability under aeration, hyperosmolarity, and penicillin exposure were affected primarily in PBP 2B-deleted mutants. In contrast, chain-forming PBP 2A-deleted mutants withstood better aeration, probably because they formed clusters that impaired oxygen diffusion. Double deletion could be generated with any PBP combination and resulted in more-altered mutants. Thus, single deletion of four of the five HMW genes had a detectable effect on the bacterial morphology and/or physiology, and only PBP 1B seemed redundant a priori.
Women's Multiple Roles and Psychological Well-Being

Examination of the relationships of multiple roles and internal-external locus of control with psychological well-being among 162 middle-class women aged 23 yr. and over, returning to school at a community college, showed women occupying two or three of the roles of partner, mother, and paid employee were happier than those occupying one or none. Internal locus of control was important in adding significantly to the prediction of both happiness and self-esteem, beyond that predicted by number of roles and control variables. Psychological well-being for women returning to school is positively correlated with more social roles and internal scores on locus of control.
Distribution of mannosamine and mannosaminuronic acid among cell walls of Bacillus species

The distribution of mannosamine, mannosaminuronic acid, and the enzymes responsible for the formation of these saccharides was studied in nine species (18 strains) of Bacillus. Whereas UDP-N-acetylglucosamine 2-epimerase activity was detected in all of the strains examined, UDP-N-acetylmannosamine dehydrogenase, as well as the activity incorporating N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid residues from UDP-N-acetylmannosaminuronic acid into polymer, was found only in four strains of B. megaterium and one strain each of B. subtilis and B. polymyxa. The cell walls prepared from the six above-named strains were shown to contain mannosaminuronic acid in amounts of 135 to 245 nmol/mg. In contrast, mannosamine had a wide distribution. The cell walls from two strains of B. cereus and one strain each of B. circulans, B. polymyxa, B. sphaericus, and B. cereus subsp. mycoides contained mannosamine in amounts of 370 to 470 nmol/mg. In addition, the cell walls from five strains of B. subtilis, two strains of B. megaterium, and one strain each of B. cereus. B. coagulans, and B. licheniformis also contained this amino sugar in amounts as small as 10 to 35 nmol/mg. On the basis of analytical data, it is suggested that the mannosamine present in small amounts may be a common constituent of linkage units between peptidoglycan and other cell wall components such as glycerol teichoic acid.
Potassium Intake and the Calcium Economy

Background: Dietary potassium intake (K) lowers urinary calcium (Ca) excretion and, in short-term studies, may improve Ca balance. Purpose: Our objective was to assess K effects on the Ca economy under steady-state conditions. Design: 8-day, inpatient metabolic studies of nitrogen, phosphorus, and Ca balance, combined with dual isotopic Ca tracer kinetics studies. Study diet matched to prestudy nutrient intakes. Subjects: 191 single women studied from 1–5 times at ∼5-year intervals, for a total of 644 inpatient studies. Median age at time of study: 50.2 yrs; 301 studies were performed postmenopausally without hormone replacement; 343 were either premenopausal or postmenopausal but on estrogen replacement therapy. Results: Dietary K was highly significantly associated with urinary Ca excretion, with a coefficient of −0.0109 mmol urine Ca/mmol diet K. However, dietary K was negatively correlated with dual-tracer Ca absorption (coefficient for Ca absorption fraction: −0.00094/mmol dietary K), and was not associated with urine Ca after adjustment for Ca absorption. Conclusion: While a high K diet (i.e., one rich in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products) has multiple health benefits and clearly lowers urine Ca, it does not seem to exert any appreciable net influence on the Ca economy, largely because the reduced calciuria is offset by reduction of intestinal absorption. We note, however, that since the high K intakes in our studies come more from milk and meat than from fruits and vegetables, we cannot exclude a possible balance effect for different food sources of K.
Narrative in interprofessional education and practice: implications for professional identity, provider–patient communication and teamwork

Abstract Health and social care professionals increasingly use narrative approaches to focus on the patient and to communicate with each other. Both effective interprofessional education (IPE) and practice (IPP) require recognizing the various values and voices of different professions, how they relate to the patient’s life story, and how they interact with each other at the level of the healthcare team. This article analyzes and integrates the literature on narrative to explore: self-narrative as an expression of one’s professional identity; the co-creation of the patient’s narrative by the professional and the patient; and the interprofessional multi-vocal narrative discourse as co-constructed by members of the healthcare team. Using a narrative approach to thinking about professional identity, provider–patient communication, and interprofessional teamwork expands our thinking about both IPE and IPP by providing new insights into the nature of professional practice based on relationships to oneself, the patient, and others on the team. How professionals define themselves, gather and present information from the patient, and communicate as members of a clinical team all have important dimensions that can be revealed by a narrative approach. Implications and conclusions for the further development of the narrative approach in IPE and IPP are offered.
Antiretroviral therapy and early mortality in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE To describe province-wide outcomes and temporal trends of the Western Cape Province antiretroviral treatment (ART) programme 5 years since inception, and to demonstrate the utility of the WHO monitoring system for ART. METHODS The treatment programme started in 2001 through innovator sites. Rapid scaling-up of ART provision began early in 2004, located predominantly in primary-care facilities. Data on patients starting ART were prospectively captured into facility-based registers, from which monthly cross-sectional activity and quarterly cohort reports were aggregated. Retention in care, mortality, loss to follow-up and laboratory outcomes were calculated at 6-monthly durations on ART. FINDINGS By the end of March 2006, 16 234 patients were in care. The cohort analysis included 12 587 adults and 1709 children. Women accounted for 70% of adults enrolled. After 4 and 3 years on ART respectively, 72.0% of adults (95% confidence interval, CI: 68.0-75.6) and 81.5% (95% CI: 75.7-86.1) of children remained in care. The percentage of adults starting ART with CD4 counts less than 50 cells/microl fell from 51.3% in 2001 to 21.5% in 2005, while mortality at 6 months fell from 12.7% to 6.6%, offset in part by an increase in loss to follow-up (reaching 4.7% at 6 months in 2005). Over 85% of adults tested had viral loads below 400 copies/ml at 6-monthly durations until 4 years on ART. CONCLUSION The location of care in primary-care sites in this programme was associated with good retention in care, while the scaling-up of ART provision was associated with reduced early mortality.
The endoplasmic reticulum‐associated protein, OS‐9, behaves as a lectin in targeting the immature calcium‐sensing receptor

The mechanisms responsible for the processing and quality control of the calcium‐sensing receptor (CaSR) in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are largely unknown. In a yeast two‐hybrid screen of the CaSR C‐terminal tail (residues 865–1078), we identified osteosarcoma‐9 (OS‐9) protein as a binding partner. OS‐9 is an ER‐resident lectin that targets misfolded glycoproteins to the ER‐associated degradation (ERAD) pathway through recognition of specific N‐glycans by its mannose‐6‐phosphate receptor homology (MRH) domain. We show by confocal microscopy that the CaSR and OS‐9 co‐localize in the ER in COS‐1 cells. In immunoprecipitation studies with co‐expressed OS‐9 and CaSR, OS‐9 specifically bound the immature form of wild‐type CaSR in the ER. OS‐9 also bound the immature forms of a CaSR C‐terminal deletion mutant and a C677A mutant that remains trapped in the ER, although binding to neither mutant was favored over wild‐type receptor. OS‐9 binding to immature CaSR required the MRH domain of OS‐9 indicating that OS‐9 acts as a lectin most likely to target misfolded CaSR to ERAD. Our results also identify two distinct binding interactions between OS‐9 and the CaSR, one involving both C‐terminal domains of the two proteins and the other involving both N‐terminal domains. This suggests the possibility of more than one functional interaction between OS‐9 and the CaSR. When we investigated the functional consequences of altered OS‐9 expression, neither knockdown nor overexpression of OS‐9 was found to have a significant effect on CaSR cell surface expression or CaSR‐mediated ERK1/2 phosphorylation.
The Interplay between Principal Leadership and Teacher Leader Efficacy

Researchers assert that the influence of teacher leadership on school change is highly contingent on the actions and beliefs of school principals. Self-efficacy theory also suggests that the extent to which teacher leaders feel they can impact change will influence how they engage with leadership opportunities. This study considers the interplay between these two forces and uses eleven embedded case studies to examine how principal leadership style-transformational, transactional, or laissez-faire-influences teacher leader efficacy. Findings suggest that teacher leader efficacy is rooted both in the teacher leaders’ self-perceptions and in how those perceptions influence and are influenced by principals’ expectations and leadership behaviors.