Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Interaction of the Ess1 Prolyl Isomerase with Components of the RNA Polymerase II Initiation and Termination Machineries

ABSTRACT The C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) is a reiterated heptad sequence (Tyr1-Ser2-Pro3-Thr4-Ser5-Pro6-Ser7) that plays a key role in the transcription cycle, coordinating the exchange of transcription and RNA processing factors. The structure of the CTD is flexible and undergoes conformational changes in response to serine phosphorylation and proline isomerization. Here we report that the Ess1 peptidyl prolyl isomerase functionally interacts with the transcription initiation factor TFIIB and with the Ssu72 CTD phosphatase and Pta1 components of the CPF 3′-end processing complex. The ess1A144T and ess1H164R mutants, initially described by Hanes and coworkers (Yeast 5:55-72, 1989), accumulate the pSer5 phosphorylated form of Pol II; confer phosphate, galactose, and inositol auxotrophies; and fail to activate PHO5, GAL10, and INO1 reporter genes. These mutants are also defective for transcription termination, but in vitro experiments indicate that this defect is not caused by altering the processing efficiency of the cleavage/polyadenylation machinery. Consistent with a role in initiation and termination, Ess1 associates with the promoter and terminator regions of the PMA1 and PHO5 genes. We propose that Ess1 facilitates pSer5-Pro6 dephosphorylation by generating the CTD structural conformation recognized by the Ssu72 phosphatase and that pSer5 dephosphorylation affects both early and late stages of the transcription cycle.
Comparative study of Mathieu and Snodgrass repair for anterior hypospadias.

BACKGROUND This study was carried out to compare the operative time and rate of complications of Mathieu and Snodgrass procedures for the repair of primary anterior hypospadias. METHODS This study was carried out in the Department of Pediatric Surgery, The Children hospital, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences Islamabad, from March 2003 to Feb 2005. We managed 90 patients with primary anterior hypospadias. Children between 2 years to 12 years were included in the study. Those who had previous repair were excluded from the study. Only those patients were selected who never had their hypospadias repaired. Those with significant chordee were also excluded from the study. Patients were divided into two groups. Group I had Mathieu repair and Group II had Tubularized Incised Plate (TIP) urethroplasty (Snodgrass procedure). Stent was kept patent by frequent irrigation. Operative time was calculated for both the procedures separately. Patients were followed for subsequent complications. RESULTS A total of 90 cases were studied. Mathieu repair was performed in 45 patients and tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty (Snodgrass procedure) in the rest of 45 patients. Cosmetic results were excellent with Snodgrass repair with a normal looking slit like meatus. Meatal stenosis and wound breakdown was equal in each group whereas urocutaneous fistula and proximal urethral stricture were seen more frequently in Mathieu group.
Immunosuppressive and cytotoxic properties of Nigella sativa

In this study the volatile oil of Nigella sativa seeds (NSVO) was investigated for its immunomodulating and cytotoxic properties. A rat model was designed to examine the effect of NSVO on selected immune components. Long‐Evans rats were challenged with a speciﬁc antigen (typhoid TH) and treated with NSVO; and the changes produced in their serum antibody titre along with the splenocytes and peripheral immune cells were analysed. Antibody titre for the experimental animal was found to be 1280 as compared to the 2560 in the control rats. There was a signiﬁcant (p < 0.05) decrease in splenocytes and neutrophils counts, but a rise in peripheral lymphocytes and monocytes in the experimental animals. To test the cytotoxicity of NSVO, a panel of ﬁve human cancer cell lines and a ﬁbroblast line was used. The MTT assay was employed to estimate the cell mortality. Vinblastine sulphate and mitomycin C were used as the positive control. LC50 values for NSVO were 155.02 ± 10.4, 185.77 ± 2.9, 120.40 ± 20.5, 384.53 ± 12.1 and 286.83 ± 23.3 µg/ml respectively against the SCL, SCL‐6, SCL‐37′6, NUGC‐4 cancer lines and 3T6 ﬁbroblast line. Results indicate that the NSVO could be considered as a potential immunosuppressive cytotoxic agent. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Markers of aggressive play are similar among the top four divisions of English soccer over 17 seasons

ABSTRACT Purpose: Aggressive play in professional soccer, punished by referees with fouls and cards, carries increased injury risk. We compared fouls and cards in the English Premier League (EPL) with the next three divisions of English soccer over 17 seasons (2000/01–2016/17), to determine whether previously observed differences with other top European leagues are unique to the EPL or are characteristic of English professional soccer overall. Methods: Data from individual matches were obtained through online sources and season averages for each league were compared. Fouls and cards were also compared between home and away teams. Correlations with final league positions were examined. Results: Numbers of fouls and yellow cards per match did not substantially differ between leagues, with average differences of 3–3.8% and 6.1–14.0% (effect sizes (ηp2) < 0.01). Away teams consistently committed more fouls and yellow card offences than home teams in each league. Results were similar though less consistent for red cards. Number and rate of cards awarded to the opposition exhibited strongest correlations with final league position across leagues. Conclusions: Our results suggest similar rates of aggressive play among the top English soccer leagues, possibly due to standardized refereeing style. Consequently, contact injuries rates may be higher in English soccer.
Innovation Adoption and Liquidity Constraints in the Presence of Grassroots Extension Agents: Evidence from the Peruvian Highlands

To analyze the role of the income constraint in slowing innovation adoption, this paper uses a technology diffusion program based on the work of business-oriented grassroots extension agents in the Peruvian Highlands. Taking advantage of a multiplicity of innovations with different characteristics and of information about innovation suppliers who can grant seller credit, we show that the income constraint operates in a limited manner. Moreover, due to higher trust associated with greater familiarity, households are better able to adopt costly and indivisible innovations when a supplier/lender resides in their own community. The story emerging from the program evokes the relatively egalitarian process underlying the Green Revolution as it has taken place in Asian agriculture, in particular. Overall, our conclusion goes against the pessimistic assessment of the impact of extension work in poor areas that emerges from the current literature.
Culture-Independent Molecular Methods for Detection of Antifungal Resistance Mechanisms and Fungal Identification

Resistance to azoles and echinocandins has emerged as a significant factor affecting the clinical management of patients with invasive fungal infections. Immunosuppressed patients at high risk for invasive fungal infections often have prolonged or repeated exposure to antifungals resulting in either the well-documented selection of naturally occurring, less susceptible fungal species, or the in situ development of specific resistance mechanisms. Nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics are particularly well suited for the rapid detection of low-abundance fungal pathogens and identification of the infecting pathogen to the genus and species levels, as well as assessment of resistance mechanisms. A wide range of molecular probing technologies involving real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays that facilitate direct analysis of a single infecting genome in a sterile blood specimen are available and have recently been commercialized (eg, Roche LightCycler SeptiFast and T2 Biosystems T2Candida). One of the exciting applications of molecular technology is the direct detection of specific resistance mechanisms that evolve during therapy. In principle, the detection of resistance mechanisms that have been independently validated to cause resistance provides a culture-independent biomarker for potential therapeutic failure. The emergence of real-time PCR assays utilizing allele-specific molecular detection technology that is highly sensitive, robust, and high-throughput has the potential to improve patient care by providing faster detection of drug-resistant infecting strains and to help inform therapeutic management.
Effect of Anticoagulant and Storage Conditions on Platelet Size and Clumping in Healthy Dogs

The potential impact of preanalytical factors, such as type of anticoagulant, storage temperature, and time, on the formation of macroplatelets and platelet aggregates (platelet clumping) in dogs is largely elusive. The objective of the current study was to assess the effect of anticoagulant, temperature, and blood storage time in the light microscopy-generated macroplatelet percentages and the frequency of visually inspected platelet aggregates in clinically healthy dogs. Giemsa-stained blood smears from 70 healthy dogs were reviewed after exposure to different anticoagulants (ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid [EDTA] vs. citrate), temperatures (25°C vs. 4°C), and storage times (up to 24 hr postsampling). The mean percentage of macroplatelets (platelets with diameter or length ≥ μm) was higher (P = 0.0006) when EDTA was used as the anticoagulant. For either anticoagulant, the mean percentage of macroplatelets was higher (P < 0.0001) at 25°C than at 4°C. Platelet clumping was 1.9 times (P < 0.0001) more likely to occur when citrate- rather than EDTA-anticoagulated blood was examined; regardless of the anticoagulant used, clumping occurred 3 times (P < 0.0001) more often when samples were preserved at 4°C than when they were preserved at 25°C. Storage time did not significantly influence the macroplatelet percentages or the frequency of platelet clumping. The results of this study indicate that macroplatelet percentages in the canine blood should be interpreted in relation to anticoagulant- and temperature-specific reference intervals and that future studies are warranted in order to investigate the clinical relevance of this calculation. In addition, the significant association of citrate with the formation of platelet aggregates may preclude its use for platelet enumeration in the dog.
Political Environment and Chinese OFDI Under RMB Appreciation: A Panel Data Analysis

ABSTRACT We examine the role of political environment (PE) in determining Chinese multinational corporations’ (MNCs) investment decisions considering the RenMinBi (RMB) exchange rate (ER) movement. System generalized method of moments, feasible generalized least squares, and fixed effect estimations are employed to conduct a panel data analysis of 92 countries for the period of 2003–2015. Our empirical results reveal that Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) responds negatively to ER risk and political risks individually. After introducing the joint effect of PE and ER movement, the results suggest that Chinese OFDI’s risk preference to PE is reversed when RMB is appreciating. We argue that Chinese firms are still risk-avert when considering investing abroad. The empirical result shed light on better understating of Chinese OFDI patterns and motivations.
Status of birth preparedness & complication readiness in Rewa District of Madhya Pradesh.

OBJECTIVE To assess status of birth preparedness & complication readiness among recently delivered and pregnant mothers in Rewa district of Madhya Pradesh. METHODS A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted during September-November 2008 among a sample of 2022 study subjects (pregnant women in second/third trimester and/or mothers who have delivered within one year) selected through 30 cluster sampling technique. Investigators collected data using pre-designed schedule by house to house visit. 7 indicators were derived from elements of birth preparedness (BP)/complication readiness (CR). Mean of 7 indicators was taken as BP/CR Index. RESULTS Among 2022 women, 632 were pregnant and 1390 were recently delivered. BP/CR index was found to be 47.5. BP/CR index was significantly high in above poverty line families (50.9), higher educational level (63.6) and in service and business group (59.3). BP/CR were significantly higher in primi-para (50.9) as compared to multipara (40.1). Some indicators for example knowledge of danger sign (18.6%), about transportation facilities (18.6%) and 1st trimester ANC (24.1%) was very low.
Nitric oxide synthase. Structural studies using anti-peptide antibodies.

The amino acid sequence for the constitutive rat brain nitric oxide (NO) synthase was analysed by a set of computer programs that estimate and display physicochemical properties such as hydrophilicity, flexibility, accessibility, hydrophilic periodicity and conformation [Comerford, S. A. , McCance, D. J., Dougan, G. & Tite, J. P. (1991) J. Virol. 65, 4681-4690]. Overall, they allow prediction of whether each peptide region will be an alpha-helix, a beta-strand or a less regular coil and also whether the region will be buried in the protein core or exposed to water at the surface of the protein molecule. Ten peptide regions were chosen; the majority were predicted to be exposed areas of the molecule and therefore likely to be immunogenic. The peptides were chemically synthesised, coupled to keyhole limpet haemocyanin carrier protein and injected into rabbits to raise antibodies. These antibodies have been used by us and others to locate the NO synthase in different tissues and species. Here we present the characterisation of the antibodies in relation to the possible conformation of the enzyme and an immunological comparison between two isoforms of NO synthase: constitutive (rat brain) and inducible (macrophage). Peptide regions predicted to be exposed, flexible or substantially in core, have produced antibodies that were able to recognise the native protein. Peptides of mixed characteristics possibly involved in the binding site tended to produce antibodies with low recognition for the tertiary structure of the native, purified NO synthase, although these peptides were all highly immunogenic. We postulate that either the peptides when conjugated to the carrier protein attain a different conformation to that in the native NO synthase, or alternatively the accessibility of the antibodies to substrate binding sites is highly restricted by steric hindrance. This latter seems to be more likely since a mixture of antibodies against this area of the protein molecule was able to achieve a similar neutralisation of the enzyme activity as the antibodies against the whole enzyme (approximately 50%). Most of the selected anti-peptide antibodies were not able to cross-react with the inducible macrophage enzyme; only two that have 60% sequence identity showed a weak reaction in Western blot. The polyclonal antibody against the complete brain enzyme showed cross-reaction in a Western blot with inducible enzyme. The macrophage enzyme was able to compete weakly with the binding of the brain enzyme to its own antibody, but 10 times more inducible protein was required. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Dividend Behaviour of Indian-listed Manufacturing and Service Sector Firms

The purpose of the study is to explore dividend behaviour of Indian manufacturing and service sector firms and to investigate similarities/differences between the same. First, the analysis is conducted using pooled, fixed and random effects OLS regression for panel data on 452 manufacturing and service sector firms for the period of 2007–2015. Further, dynamic panel data analysis has been used to deal with the heteroscedasticity and endogeneity issues among the variables for the study to capture asymptotic efficient estimates. The result refutes significant differences in terms of firm-level factors that determines dividend policy. However, manufacturing sector is significantly efficient in declaring dividends (59.63 per cent) in comparison to service sector (34.33 per cent). Further analysis suggests that firm size and cash holdings have significant positive relationship to dividend paid, whereas age and net working capital are negatively significant for dividend declarations in the service sector. However, the analysis of manufacturing sector suggests that profitability and firm size and profitability are positively significant, while net working capital is negatively significant for dividend decisions.
Rac “Insert Region” Is a Novel Effector Region That Is Implicated in the Activation of NADPH Oxidase, but Not PAK65*

The small GTPase Rac assembles with the cytosolic p47phox and p67phox and the membrane-associated flavocytochrome b558 to form the multicomponent respiratory burst oxidase. Mutation of amino acids in a region of Rac (residues 26-45), homologous to an effector region in Ras, was previously shown to interfere with Rac binding to the oxidase. Herein we have elucidated an additional region in Rac involved in regulating oxidase activity. Rho family small GTPases contain a 12-amino acid “insert” region (residues 124-135) that is not present in Ras. Point mutations in and deletion of this region were constructed and used for in vitro studies of the activation of PAK65 and NADPH oxidase. Apparent binding constants (based on EC50 values) of the mutant Rac proteins for the oxidase are at least 13-25-fold higher than for wild-type Rac. Mutations in the insert region versus the 26-45 effector region resulted in distinct kinetic consequences, pointing to different roles for these two protein regions: mutations in the insert region but not the 26-45 effector region resulted in an increase in the EC50 for p67phox. Although mutations in the 26-45 amino acid effector region showed markedly diminished activation of both PAK and the NADPH oxidase, insert region mutations did not affect activation of PAK. We propose that the combinatorial use of the 26-45 effector region and the insert region provides the Rho family GTPases with versatility in their specificity for several downstream targets.
Factors Influencing Demand for Health Insurance in Uganda

This study applies a probit model to secondary data to investigate the factor influencing demands for health insurance in Uganda. The results reveal that wealth, level of education, access to information and area of residence are significantly associated with demand for health insurance. However, age, marital status and health status as proxied by smoking are insignificant. Results further reveal that health insurance is more pronounced among wealthier, educated and well-informed individuals who reside in urban areas. The study therefore recommends for the policies geared towards poverty reduction, investing in education both at primary and secondary levels, increased public awareness about benefits of health insurance and establishment of a National Social Health insurance scheme since such variables were highly associated with demand for health insurance.
Assessment of Groundwater Drought in the Mangyeong River Basin, Korea

When groundwater drought occurs, baseflow discharges to surface-water bodies will be reduced and then domestic and agricultural water usage becomes at risk of insufficient supply. Thus, in this study, several methods for groundwater drought assessment were tested with long-term monitoring water-level data in the study area to preserve groundwater sustainability from drought, principally caused by reduced precipitation and propagated through agricultural drought and groundwater drought. Because of the Monsoon climate on the Korean Peninsula, the groundwater storage (or water-level) is secured until the end of summer, then falls by natural discharge during the dry seasons of autumn, winter and the following spring. Thus, the rainfall in the wet season seems to mainly influence groundwater storage until the spring of the following year. As the groundwater level (GWL) declines due to natural drainage and the use of agricultural water increases by the end of the dry season (October–May), the GWL will become lowered below the critical level. Below this level, sufficient water supply is not secured. Using the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI), threshold method and 95% probability occurrence method, drought detection and the frequency of drought are compared. Groundwater drought using the threshold method results in more frequent occurrence than using the SPI method. The 95% occurrence method responds to severe drought but it also has weakness in missing the man-induced GWL decline in every spring season. For groundwater drought assessment, an appropriate drought index should be utilized according to climatic conditions and catchment characteristics. In the study area, variations of the both natural and anthropogenic effects are mixed and the threshold method is more suitable as a measure for preventing water resources shortage.
Optimized Schwarz Methods with Overlap for the Helmholtz Equation

Optimized Schwarz methods are based on optimized transmission conditions between subdomains and can have substantially improved convergence behavior compared to classical Schwarz methods. This is especially true when the method is applied to the Helmholtz equation, and better transmission conditions in form of perfectly matched layers have for example led to the new class of sweeping preconditioners. We present here for the first time a complete analysis of optimized Schwarz methods with overlap for the Helmholtz equation. We obtain closed form asymptotically optimized transmission conditions for the case of two subdomains, and study numerically the influence of the number of subdomains on this optimized choice.
Spanish multicenter tafluprost tolerability study

Aim To evaluate the ocular surface symptoms and signs associated with preservative-free 0.0015% tafluprost in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods Prospective non-interventional, multicentre, observational study on 134 patients, naive or on previous treatment with another prostaglandin analogue. In each visit (V1 baseline visit, V2 at 1 month and V3 at 3 months), patients evaluated five ocular surface symptoms as: absent, mild, moderate and severe. Parallelly, the ophthalmologist assessed the tear break-up time, keratitis, conjunctival hyperaemia, blepharitis, Schirmer test and tear meniscus. Results Patients with OHT (n=71, 53%) experienced a statistically significant improvement of all symptoms: stinging/burning/irritation, itching, foreign body sensation, tearing and dryness sensation at V3, while glaucoma patients improved all symptoms at both V2 and V3. In patients with OHT, all signs except Schirmer test improved and the decrease in hyperaemia was statistically significant. Eyes with glaucoma ameliorated the keratitis, hyperaemia and tear meniscus at V2 and V3 and the break-up time and blepharitis at V3. In the subset of patients with previous treatment (n=79, 58.9%), patients with OHT presented significant improvement of hyperaemia, yet the rest of signs did not decrease significantly or remained unchanged, while in patients with glaucoma all signs improved significantly at both visits. The intraocular pressure (IOP) drop in naive eyes was 22.2% (24.7–19.7 mm Hg) in OHT and 29.5% (33.7–25.3 mm Hg) in glaucoma eyes. In previously treated eyes, no statistically significant change in IOP was found. Conclusion Preservative-free tafluprost is a well tolerated hypotensive agent that can be used in eyes with surface problems and in naive eyes.