Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Survival with bladder cancer, evaluation of delay in treatment, type of surgeon, and modality of treatment.

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether length of delay before treatment; specialty and grade of the surgeon; and use made of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy influenced the survival of patients with cancer of the bladder, after adjusting for case severity. DESIGN--Retrospective cohort study. SETTING--South East and South West Thames health regions. PATIENTS--609 men aged under 75 resident in the South Thames regions who had been registered as new cases of bladder cancer in 1982, 35 of whom were excluded, leaving 574 eligible patients. Analysis was based on 75% retrieval rate for case notes. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Duration of survival from date of diagnosis of the bladder tumour. RESULTS--10 prognostic variables were used to adjust for case severity. The median delay from referral to first treatment was 48 (interquartile range 27-84) days. Treatment after a short delay was associated with shorter survival because of the early treatment of more severe cases. Consultants treated 68% of patients, trainee surgeons treated less severe cases. Initial treatment was by a urologist in 67% of cases, but the specialty of the surgeon was not associated with prognosis. The associations of radiotherapy, cystectomy, and systemic chemotherapy with survival were interpreted in terms of selection bias as well as therapeutic effect. CONCLUSION--Case severity was the most important influence on survival and influenced length of delay before treatment, grade and specialty of the surgeon, and main treatment allocation. After adjusting for case severity variations in these processes of care were not strongly associated with variations in survival.
Avian Influenza in Italy 1997–2001

Abstract From 1997 to 2001, Italy has been affected by two epidemics of high-pathogenicity avian influenza. The first epidemic was caused by a virus of the H5N2 subtype and was limited to eight premises in backyard and semi-intensive flocks. The prompt identification of the disease was followed by the implementation of European Union (EU) directive 92/40/EEC and resulted in the eradication of infection without serious consequences to the poultry industry. The 1999–00 epidemic was caused by a virus of the H7N1 subtype that originated from the mutation of a low pathogenic virus and resulted instead in a devastating epidemic that affected industrially reared poultry, culminating in the infection of 413 flocks. The description of the epidemics and the result of the control policies are reported.
A generic intron increases gene expression in transgenic mice

To investigate the role of splicing in the regulation of gene expression, we have generated transgenic mice carrying the human histone H4 promoter linked to the bacterial gene for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT), with or without a heterologous intron in the transcription unit. We found that CAT activity is 5- to 300-fold higher when the transgene incorporates a hybrid intron than with an analogous transgene precisely deleted for the intervening sequences. This hybrid intron, consisting of an adenovirus splice donor and an immunoglobulin G splice acceptor, stimulated expression in a broad range of tissues in the animal. Although the presence of the hybrid intron increased the frequency of transgenics with significant CAT activity, it did not affect the integration site-dependent variation commonly seen in transgene expression. To determine whether the enhancement is a general outcome of splicing or is dependent on the particular intron, we also produced equivalent transgenics carrying the widely used simian virus 40 small-t intron. We found that the hybrid intron is significantly more effective in elevating transgene expression. Our results suggest that inclusion of the generic intron in cDNA constructs may be valuable in achieving high levels of expression in transgenic mice.
Knowledge, Opinions and attitudes towards HIV and AIDS among Youth in Botswana

Knowledge, opinions and attitudes of youth towards HIV/AIDS are very important for HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support. Botswana is one of the countries in sub Saharan Africa which has long struggled with HIV/ AIDS epidemic and several program efforts aimed at enhancing knowledge about HIV/AIDS have been developed and implemented. The current paper utilizes data derived from Botswana Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance survey conducted in Botswana in 2009 which is a nationally representative survey of school going leaner’s aged 10 to 19 years. The main objective of the survey was to assess and monitor the prevalence of key youth health risk Behaviors and related risk factors in a random sample of learners aged 10 to 19 years, in 15 Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) districts of Botswana. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to analyze data in SPSS version 21 program and results were presented as odds ratios and percentages. Bivariate analyses results indicate that 10.5% of students reported that HIV transmission cannot be prevented, 13.6% thought it can be prevented by not having sex if you suspect the person has HIV/AIDS, 5.8% thought that by having only a few partners at a time would prevent transmission of HIV, 11.3% were of the view that serial monogamy would help prevent transmission, and use of condom when one feels it is important to do so score highest with 14.0%. Multivariate analyses show that young children aged 10-13(OR=0.689) who are at primary school level (OR=0.235) are less likely to have correct knowledge about the relationship between HIV and AIDS and also about HIV transmission and prevention than their older counterparts. Females were more likely to show negative attitudes towards PLWA than males (OR=1.3).
Design of channel-optimized vector quantizers in the presence of channel mismatch

We study the design of channel-optimized vector quantizers in the presence of channel mismatch. We show that when the statistics of the channel bit-error rate (BER) are not known, a minimax solution is the one obtained by designing for the worst possible channel. Then, we consider the case when the probability density function of channel BER is known and propose an algorithm that provides a minimum average distortion. Also, by using an estimate of the channel BER at the decoder, we develop a decoder-adaptive scheme that further improves the performance. In all cases, we have limited ourselves to table-lookup decoders, which amount to very small computational complexities. Finally, the utilization of lookup tables at the encoder and the effects of imperfect estimation of channel BERs are considered.
Conventional haemofiltration during routine coronary bypass surgery

The use of conventional ultrafiltration during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been well recognized as an efficient modality of therapy to reverse the effects of deliberate haemodilution. Routine use of the haemofilter was prospectively studied on 60 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery. Group A consisted of 30 patients on whom the ultrafiltrator was used and compared to group B who did not receive the ultrafiltration technique. The COBE 1200 ultrafiltration device was used. The results of the study demonstrated that, in group A, the mean total amount of ultrafiltrate collected during bypass was 2510 ± 804 ml per patient. The mean 24-h postoperative blood loss was 440 ± 192 ml in group A and 451 ± 136 ml in group B. The average bank blood transfused was 0.6 ± 1.3 units per patient in group A and 0.75 ± 1.5 units per patient in group B. Postoperative weight gain in group A averaged 3.5 ± 3.45 lb per patient, compared to 4.8 ± 3.7 lb per patient in group B. Postoperative length of stay averaged 6.4 ± 1.5 days per patient in group A and 6.4 ± 2.1 days per patient in group B. Overall patient charges averaged $33 706 ± 8348 per patient in group A and $33 041 ± 7674 per patient in group B. It was concluded that routine use of ultrafiltration during routine coronary artery bypass surgery with CPB offers no improvement in the quality of care nor does it decrease the patient’s overall charges.
Detection of an element of the SV40 late promoter in vectors used for expression studies in COS cells.

Plasmids containing hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and a 232‐bp SV40 DNA fragment encoding the origin of replication were constructed. When introduced by transfection into COS cells, these plasmids directed the synthesis of hepatitis B surface antigen. S1 mapping of the mRNAs covering the S gene showed that transcriptional initiation was promoted by the interaction of HBV sequences with an SV40 promoter element: transcription started on HBV DNA but had several properties of SV40 late transcription. The detection of a promoter element in an SV40 origin fragment commonly used in the COS system is important for the interpretation of data deriving from expression studies in COS cells.
Monoterpenes with Analgesic Activity—A Systematic Review

There is still the need for efficacious therapies for pain. In the search for new therapeutic options, plants are a major source of novel biomolecules. Monoterpenes constitute 90% of essential oils, and there is a growing interest in understanding the mechanisms underlying their pharmacological activity. This systematic review reports what is so far known about the analgesic activity of monoterpenes and also provides an overview of their mechanisms of action. The search terms analgesia, anti‐inflammatory, anaesthetic and antioxidant were used to retrieve English language articles in SCOPUS, PUBMED and EMBASE published between 1990 and 2012. Forty‐five papers were found concerning the potential analgesic activity of 27 monoterpenes. The data reviewed here suggest these compounds are possible candidates for the treatment of painful conditions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Investigating the load flow equations in power systems via LMI-based techniques

Solving the load flow equations is an important problem in power systems. This paper proposes an approach for addressing this problem via a convex optimization with LMI constraints. This approach ensures to find all solutions provided that the dimension of a linear space provided by the optimization is smaller than a known threshold. Then, this paper considers the characterization of the set of admissible power, in particular the computation of the largest admissible power, which amounts to solving a nonconvex optimization problem. It is shown that an upper bound of the sought power can be obtained via convex LMI optimization. Moreover, a necessary and sufficient condition for establishing whether the upper bound is tight or not is provided. Some numerical examples illustrate the proposed approach.
A review: The active peptide of lactoferrin

A potent antimicrobial peptide, ‘lactoferricin’, was found to be generated upon gastric pepsin cleavage of lactoferrin. The active peptide consists mainly of a loop of 18 amino acid residues, derived from the N‐terminal region of the lactoferrin molecule. Like various other antimicrobial peptides that display membrane‐disruptive properties, it contains a high proportion of basic amino acid residues. A physiologically diverse range of micro‐organisms was tested and found to be susceptible to inhibition by this natural peptide including Gram‐negative and Gram‐positive bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi. Its antimicrobial effect against sensitive micro‐organisms was lethal. Electron microscopy studies revealed that it induces a profound change in cell ultrastructural features and causes substantial cell damage in bacteria and fungi. These findings suggest the possibility that active peptides of lactoferrin may have a role in the host defense against microbial disease. If produced in substantial quantities in vivo such peptides could have important physiological significance, especially in nursing infants.
Associations between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphisms and osteoarthritis: an updated meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of OA, however, evidence for this is controversial. This meta-analysis aims to confirm whether VDR gene polymorphisms are associated with OA. METHODS Meta-analyses on the association between OA and VDR ApaI, BsmI, TaqI and FokI polymorphisms were conducted using allele and homozygote contrast and contrasts in the recessive and dominant models. Stratification analyses by different demographic regions (Europe vs Asian) were also performed and pooled odds ratios (ORs) were obtained using the random effects model if the results were heterogeneous. RESULTS A total of 13 relevant studies involving OA patients (n = 2104) and controls (n = 2939) were included in the analysis. There were significant associations between VDR ApaI polymorphisms and OA in the Asian population (A vs a: OR= 1.16, 95% CI 1.02, 1.32, P = 0.025; AA vs Aa/aa: OR= 1.36, 95% CI 1.04, 1.77, P = 0.025; AA vs aa: OR= 1.35, 95% CI 1.00, 1.80, P = 0.047), but not in the whole population. There was also a statistically significant association between FokI polymorphism and OA (FF vs Ff/ff: OR= 0.65, 95% CI 0.44, 0.95, P = 0.024); however, this result was derived from only two studies. No significant associations were found between VDR TaqI and BsmI polymorphisms and OA. CONCLUSION There are modest but statistically significant associations between VDR ApaI polymorphisms and the susceptibility of OA in the Asian population.
An Experimental Analysis of Pitch Patterns in Japanese Speakers of English with Verification by Speech Re-Synthesis

Certain irregularities in utterances of a word or phrase occur in English as spoken by Japanese native subjects (Japanese English, henceforth). This study considers such pitch patterns as one of the most common causes of deﬁciencies in Japanese English, and that Japanese English would have better pitch patterns if its peculiarities are modiﬁed. Firstly, pitch patterns of Japanese English are statistically analyzed. The analytical results provide a rule for modifying the pitch patterns of Japanese English, in order to improve naturalness. To check the appropriateness of the rule, the pitch patterns of several samples of Japanese English are acoustically modiﬁed and re-synthesized. The modiﬁed speeches are evaluated in a listening experiment taken by native English speakers. Averagely, over threefold subjects support the proposed modiﬁcation against original speeches. Therefore, the results indicate practical veri-ﬁcation of modifying ways of Japanese English.
A meiosis-specific Spt5 homolog involved in non-coding transcription

Abstract Spt5 is a conserved and essential transcriptional regulator that binds directly to RNA polymerase and is involved in transcription elongation, polymerase pausing and various co-transcriptional processes. To investigate the role of Spt5 in non-coding transcription, we used the unicellular model Paramecium tetraurelia. In this ciliate, development is controlled by epigenetic mechanisms that use different classes of non-coding RNAs to target DNA elimination. We identified two SPT5 genes. One (STP5v) is involved in vegetative growth, while the other (SPT5m) is essential for sexual reproduction. We focused our study on SPT5m, expressed at meiosis and associated with germline nuclei during sexual processes. Upon Spt5m depletion, we observed absence of scnRNAs, piRNA-like 25 nt small RNAs produced at meiosis. The scnRNAs are a temporal copy of the germline genome and play a key role in programming DNA elimination. Moreover, Spt5m depletion abolishes elimination of all germline-limited sequences, including sequences whose excision was previously shown to be scnRNA-independent. This suggests that in addition to scnRNA production, Spt5 is involved in setting some as yet uncharacterized epigenetic information at meiosis. Our study establishes that Spt5m is crucial for developmental genome rearrangements and necessary for scnRNA production.
Crack Initiation Modes in Bilayered Alumina/Porcelain Disks as a Function of Core/Veneer Thickness Ratio and Supporting Substrate Stiffness

We hypothesize that the fracture resistance of alumina core/porcelain veneer disks increases and that crack initiation shifts from veneer to core as the core/veneer thickness ratio (tc/tv) increases from 0.5/1.0 to 1.3/0.2, or as the elastic modulus of the supporting substrate (Es) to which it is resin-bonded increases from 5.1 to 226 GPa. When supported by a low-modulus substrate, disks with low tc/tv ratios exhibited cracks in the veneer and within the core, while those with high tc/tv ratios demonstrated core cracks, but not veneer cracks. None of the disks supported by Ni-Cr alloy (E = 226 GPa) exhibited core cracks. These results support the hypothesis that the crack initiation site shifts as the tc/t v ratio increases, but the increase in Es did not affect the crack initiation site. This study suggests that the tc/tv ratio is the dominant factor that controls the failure initiation site in bilayered ceramic disks.
The Demonstration of Progesterone, but not of Estrogen, Receptors in the Developing Human Placenta

Since presence of steroid receptors in the human placenta has been the subject of dispute, we have investigated the existence of estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptors in trophoblasts across gestational age by a variety of different techniques. Fresh human placental tissue of trimesters 1 to 3 was paraffin-embedded or snap-frozen (-80 degrees C) and sliced (5 microns). Other tissue fragments from identical placentae were dispersed and incubated in monolayer cultures for up to 5 days. Immunocytochemistry (ICC) was performed for ER and PR in both trophoblast cells in culture and in whole tissue slices, using the sandwich antibody technique with subsequent horse-radish peroxidase reaction for colorization. In addition, long-term perifusion studies were conducted with explants of term placentae, using perifusion medium with estradiol (E, 2 ng/ml) and/or progesterone (P, 200 ng/ml). Perifused explants were then subjected to further ICC staining. Furthermore, RT-PCR for both ER and PR mRNA was performed for detection of the gene products in placentae of different gestational ages. Lastly, binding studies with iodine or tritium-labeled E and P were conducted on cytosol fractions. In placental sections and cultured trophoblasts, PR was clearly demonstrable in all placentae across different gestational ages. Abundant PR signal was found adjacent to the nuclei, and additionally in the dendrite-like pseudopods of syncytiotrophoblast cells. In contrast, no such staining signal was detected for the ER; this finding applied under all conditions investigated and at all gestational ages. Again, no staining for ER by ICC was detected in any tissue after perifusion with sex steroids. RT-PCR revealed no product for ER, but only for PR, in placentae across all gestational ages. Binding studies with labeled E and P showed no binding for either compound. Taken together, these observations suggest the presence of PR, but not of ER, in human placenta throughout gestation. Our failure to detect the ER does not entirely preclude the presence of this receptor in human trophoblasts, but might be attributed to a relatively low number and density of ER on these cells. Alternatively, estrogen's action on the placenta may be mediated by a different type of ER, such as by a non-classical membrane-bound receptor.
A new multilevel coding method using error-correcting codes

A new multilevel coding method that uses several error-correcting codes is proposed. The transmission symbols are constructed by combining symbols of codewords of these codes. Usually, these codes are binary error-correcting codes and have different error-correcting capabilities. For various channels, efficient systems can be obtained by choosing these codes appropriately. Encoding and decoding procedures for this method are relatively simple compared with those of other multilevel coding methods. In addition, this method makes effective use of soft-decisions to improve the performance of decoding. The decoding error probability is analyzed for multiphase modulation, and numerical comparisons to other multilevel coding systems are made. When equally complex systems are compared, the new system is superior to other multilevel coding systems.
C-reactive protein levels and the association of carotid artery calcification with tooth loss.

OBJECTIVES The relationship between carotid artery calcification (CAC) and tooth loss was investigated and its association with inflammatory mediator levels was evaluated. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Ninety-two participants were examined for health and periodontal status. Panoramic radiographs were obtained for CAC identification. C-reactive protein (CRP), intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) levels were measured. RESULTS Fifteen participants (16.3%) had CAC, 12 (80.0%) of whom were female. Mean age of participants with CAC was 55.3 ± 12.2 years, while that of participants without CAC was 48.9 ± 9.4 years. Median number of tooth loss in participants with CAC was 11, whereas that of individuals without CAC was 3 (P = 0.008). Age and presence of CAC were associated with the number of tooth loss, independent of health status (β = 0.452, P = <0.001 and β = 0.257, P = 0.005). Based on CRP levels, 10 participants (71.4%) were at intermediate risk of coronary heart disease (range, 1.0-2.3 μg ml-1 ), while four participants (28.6%) were at low risk (<1.0 μg ml-1 ). CRP, ICAM-1, or VCAM-1 levels were not significantly related to the presence of CAC or tooth loss. CONCLUSIONS Patients with higher tooth loss have a greater prevalence of CAC. Patients with CAC should be referred for medical consultation.
Functional Characterization in Vitro of All Two-component Signal Transduction Systems from Escherichia coli*

Bacteria possess a signal transduction system, referred to as a two-component system, for adaptation to external stimuli. Each two-component system consists of a sensor protein-histidine kinase (HK) and a response regulator (RR), together forming a signal transduction pathway via histidyl-aspartyl phospho-relay. A total of 30 sensor HKs, including as yet uncharacterized putative HKs (BaeS, BasS, CreC, CusS, HydH, RstB, YedV, and YfhK), and a total of 34 RRs, including putative RRs (BaeR, BasR, CreB, CusR, HydG, RstA, YedW, YfhA, YgeK, and YhjB), have been suggested to exist in Escherichia coli. We have purified the carboxyl-terminal catalytic domain of 27 sensor HKs and the full-length protein of all 34 RRs to apparent homogeneity. Self-phosphorylation in vitro was detected for 25 HKs. The rate of self-phosphorylation differed among HKs, whereas the level of phosphorylation was generally co-related with the phosphorylation rate. However, the phosphorylation level was low for ArcB, HydH, NarQ, and NtrB even though the reaction rate was fast, whereas the level was high for the slow phosphorylation species BasS, CheA, and CreC. By using the phosphorylated HKs, we examined trans-phosphorylation in vitro of RRs for all possible combinations. Trans-phosphorylation of presumed cognate RRs by HKs was detected, for the first time, for eight pairs, BaeS-BaeR, BasS-BasR, CreC-CreB, CusS-CusR, HydH-HydG, RstB-RstA, YedV-YedW, and YfhK-YfhA. All trans-phosphorylation took place within less than 1/2 min, but the stability of phosphorylated RRs differed, indicating the involvement of de-phosphorylation control. In addition to the trans-phosphorylation between the cognate pairs, we detected trans-phosphorylation between about 3% of non-cognate HK-RR pairs, raising the possibility that the cross-talk in signal transduction takes place between two-component systems.