Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dialysis: A Review of the Mechanisms Underlying Complications in the Management of Chronic Renal Failure

Chronic renal failure (CRF) is the most prevalent, worldwide public health problem of the elderly population. The main cause of CRF is a damaged kidney. There are five stages of CRF based on the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), and stage 5 (GFR < 15 ml/min/1.73m2) is often called an end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In CRF, there is an accumulation of toxins and excess water due to compromised renal function. Dialysis is the preferred way to treat ESRD and remove accumulated toxins from the body. The cardiovascular risk associated with dialysis is 10 to 20 times higher in patients undergoing dialysis than in normal people. The inflamed kidneys and the process of dialysis also affect endothelial function, aggravating the risk of hypertension and cardiac problems. Therefore, both physicians and patients should be aware of the consequences of undergoing dialysis. There is an urgent need to educate CRF patients regarding facts about the disease, medications, dietary habits, and various measures required to manage the condition and lead a normal life. This paper attempts to delineate the mechanisms that could result in cardiovascular and other complications among CRF patients undergoing dialysis.
Preoperative FDG-PET temporal lobe hypometabolism and verbal memory after temporal lobectomy

Objective: To examine the relationship of preoperative fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET asymmetry in temporal lobe metabolism and memory outcome after anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL). Methods: In a university-based epilepsy surgery center, 60 ATL patients (27 left, 33 right) were divided into two groups: no/mild (n = 21) or moderate/severe (n = 39) asymmetry in temporal lobe hypometabolism as determined by FDG-PET. All patients were nonretarded, at least 18 years of age, left-hemisphere speech dominant, without MRI abnormalities other than hippocampal atrophy, and with unilateral temporal lobe origin of intractable complex partial seizures. Neuropsychological measures of intelligence and verbal and visual memory function were assessed preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively. Results: Left ATL patients with no/mild asymmetry in FDG-PET temporal lobe metabolism exhibited significantly greater verbal memory decline compared with left ATL patients with moderate/severe hypometabolism. There was no significant relationship between PET asymmetry and pre- to postsurgical IQ change. No significant relationship was observed between extent of PET hypometabolism and memory outcome for right ATL patients. Conclusions: FDG-PET asymmetry can be added to the preoperative clinical markers that appear useful in predicting verbal memory decline after left ATL.
Productivity Gains and Spillovers from Offshoring

Offshoring is generally believed to be productivity-enhancing and this belief is underpinned by economic theory. This article contributes to the growing literature that tests empirically whether offshoring does indeed help to improve productivity. Estimating the impact of materials and business services offshoring on productivity growth with industry-level data for Belgium over the period 1995-2004, we examine this issue separately for manufacturing and market services. The results show that there is no productivity effect of materials offshoring, while business services offshoring leads to productivity gains in manufacturing. In addition, this is the first article to investigate the possibility of spillovers from offshoring. Productivity gains from offshoring in one industry may feed through to other industries that purchase its output for intermediate use if, due to offshoring, the user value exceeds the price of the output. There is only scarce evidence of positive spillovers from materials offshoring in manufacturing in the data, which suggests that most firms effectively manage to internalise all efficiency gains from offshoring.
Effects of credit Risk indicators on shareholders ' value of commercial banks in IRAN

This research aim to determine indicators of credit risk and investigates effects of this indicators on shareholders' value in commercial banks of Iran. For this goal all of the accepted commercial banks in Tehran stock exchange in a 6 years period from 2005 to 2010 investigated. This study answer to: whether indicator of financial risk has significant effect on shareholders' value of commercial banks or not? With one main hypothesis, four indicators of credit risk investigated and hypothesis tested. Hypothesis testing and data analyzing done based on linear regression by Spss.v19. results confirmed effective role of credit risk indicators on shareholders' value mean fundamental hypothesis of research confirmed.
The mitochondrial genome of the German wasp Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793) (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea: Vespidae)

Abstract The mitochondrial genome of the German wasp Vespula germanica (Fabricius, 1793) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) (GenBank accession no. KR703583) was sequenced in the study. It represents the first mitochondrial genome from the genus Vespula. There are totally 163 42 bp in the currently sequenced portion of the genome, containing 13 protein-coding, two rRNA, and 18 tRNA genes and a partial A + T-rich region. Four tRNA genes of trnI, trnQ, trnM and trnY located at the downstream of the A + T-rich region were failed to sequence. At least two rearrangement events occurred in the sequenced region compared with the pupative ancestral arrangement of insects, corresponding to the translocation or remote inversion of tnnY from trnW-trnC-trnY cluster to the region of trnI-trnQ-trnM cluster and translocation of trnL1 from the downstream to the upstream of nad1 gene. All protein-coding genes start with ATN codons. Twelve and one protein-coding genes stop with termination codon TAA and T, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis using the Bayesian method based on all codon positions of the 13 protein-coding genes supports the monophyly of Vespidae and Formicidae. Within the Formicidae, the Myrmicinae and Formicinae form a sister group and then sister to the Dolichoderinae, while within the Vespidae, the Eumeninae sister to the lineage of Vespinae + Polistinae.
A unique, bifunctional site‐specific DNA recombinase from Mycoplasma pulmonis

Site‐specific DNA invertible elements often control the production of bacterial surface proteins that are subject to phase variation (ON/OFF switching). Inversion of the DNA element occurs as a result of the reciprocal exchange of DNA catalysed by a specialized enzyme (recombinase) that acts at specific sites. By continually switching the orientation of the invertible element in the chromosome, and consequently the production of the variable protein(s), the cell population remains continually responsive to environmental change such as immunological challenge. In addition to phase‐variable surface proteins, Mycoplasma pulmonis has a family of phase‐variable restriction‐modification enzymes. We report here that a single recombinase in M. pulmonis, HvsR, catalyses independent DNA inversions at non‐homologous loci, causing variations in surface lipoproteins and in the DNA recognition sequence specificity of restriction enzymes. Thus, HvsR is a site‐specific DNA recombinase with dual substrate specificity.
Red-to-Black Piezochromism in a Compressible Pb–I–SCN Layered Perovskite

M of controlling semiconductor bandgaps are of great importance in materials design. In particular, fabrication of layered heterostructures with controlled thickness and composition allows for the composite’s electronic structures to be modulated. In recent decades, 2D organic−inorganic perovskites have gained attention as self-assembling heterostructures, whose optoelectronic properties can be tuned through crystal design. Indeed, hybrid perovskites have proven to be a versatile platform for optoelectronics. The high bandgaps (Eg) and large exciton binding energies (Eb) in n = 1 lead-halide perovskites (n = number of lead-halide sheets in each inorganic layer) have aided their application as green lightemitting diodes and white-light phosphors. In contrast, the much lower Eg and Eb values in the 3D (n = ∞) perovskite (MA)PbI3 (MA = CH3NH3 ) have been critical for its successful employment as an absorber for high-efficiency solar cells. Both Eg and Eb values of 2D perovskites decrease with increasing inorganic sheet thickness. Accordingly, the n = 3 perovskite (C6H5(CH2)2NH3)2(MA)2[Pb3I10] was shown to act as an absorber in a solar cell with improved moisture resistance compared to (MA)PbI3. 10 However, self-assembly of single-phased n > 1 perovskites becomes more difficult as n increases. We therefore explored routes to n = 1 structures with reduced Eg and Eb values. Herein we show that (MA)2[PbI2(SCN)2] (1) has atypically low Eg and Eb values for an n = 1 perovskite and dramatic pressure response (Figure 1) that further modulates its photophysical properties. Recently, a proposed analog to the 3D perovskite (MA)PbI3 was reported where two iodides were replaced by two thiocyanides. This material was reported to exhibit greater moisture resistance compared to (MA)PbI3 and similar performance as a solar-cell absorber. A recent correspondence reported its single-crystal structure as the 2D perovskite 1 containing bridging iodides and terminal thiocyanides. Solid 1 has been attributed an Eg of 1.5−1.6 eV, similar to that of (MA)PbI3, which would be promising for photovoltaic applications. Several reports of mixed Pb−I−SCN perovskite absorbers have also ascribed increased photoluminescence (PL) intensity and improved device performance and stability to SCN− incorporation. In our hands, however, we find that the red solid 1, which has an Eg of ca. 2.3 eV (Figure 2A), rapidly decomposes to a black solid in ambient humidity. Upon exposing 1 to 66% relative humidity, we see reflections corresponding to (MA)PbI3 and Pb(SCN)2 in the powder Xray diffraction (PXRD) patterns, which dominate the patterns after 7 min for films and 45 min for powders (Figure S1). The absorption, PL, and vibrational spectra of humidity-exposed 1 also show indicators for (MA)PbI3 formation (Figures S2−S5), which may explain the low Eg and favorable photovoltaic properties previously attributed to 1. Considering stoichiometry, the following decomposition mechanism is possible, driven by the hydration of (MA)SCN.
Proton shuttle in green fluorescent protein studied by dynamic simulations

As a direct simulation of a multistep proton transfer reaction involving protein residues, the proton relay shuttle between A and I forms of green fluorescent protein (GFP) is simulated in atomic detail by using a special molecular dynamics simulation technique. Electronic excitation of neutral chromophore in wild-type GFP is generally followed by excited-state proton transfer to a nearby glutamic acid residue via a water molecule and a serine residue. Here we show that the second and third transfer steps occur ultrafast on time scales of several tens of femtoseconds. Proton back-shuttle in the ground state is slower and occurs in a different sequence of events. The simulations provide atomic models of various intermediates and yield realistic rate constants for proton transfer events. In particular, we argue that the I form observed spectroscopically under equilibrium conditions may differ from the I form observed as a fast intermediate by an anti to syn rotation of the carboxyl proton of neutral Glu-222.
A South African mixed ancestry family with Huntington disease‐like 2: Clinical and genetic features

Huntington disease‐like 2 (HDL2) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of a CTG repeat in the junctophilin‐3 gene (JPH3). A limited number of HDL2 families have been reported, all of apparently Black African ancestry. We report on a South African family that presented with progressive dementia and a movement disorder affecting numerous family members. Genotyping of the JPH3 CTG repeat revealed pathogenic expansions in three affected individuals. Whereas HDL2 is thought to be clinically indistinguishable from Huntington disease (HD), 2 of the patients in this study presented with clinical symptoms that differed substantially from HD; one had myoclonus and the other had Parkinsonism. Moreover, brain magnetic resonance imaging scans of these patients showed imaging features atypical for HD. Mitochondrial DNA and Y‐chromosome DNA analysis on a family member showed that his maternal and paternal ancestries are typical of that found among the South African mixed ancestry or colored population. A difference in the distribution of CTG repeats between Caucasian and Black individuals was detected. We conclude that the phenotype of HDL2 is broad and can differ from that of typical HD. The diagnosis therefore should be considered in a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric and abnormal movement presentations. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society
Health sector reform: key issues in less developed countries.

Stressing the importance of institutional reform, the author explores the meaning, and some of the practical implications, of health sector reform in less developed countries. He reviews the problems which reforms have to address and the policy objectives they are designed to achieve. What health sector reform is and why it is necessary are first considered. Then, with regard to movement toward a more coherent approach to health sector reform, there is discussion of the context, understanding health care systems, sources of ideas and experience, information versus institutions, and the key principles of institutional reform. A section on the issues and options to implementing reform is followed by consideration of the role of donor agencies. It is argued that the process of reform is not concerned only with defining priorities and refining policies, but also with reforming and restructuring the institutions through which health policies are implemented. While some organizational principles will probably be common to all reform programs, a prescriptive approach to institutional reform in inappropriate. The choice of reform options can be influenced by technical advice and analysis, but the decision to proceed, and the subsequent success of implementation, depends upon political support. Examples of institutional reform from several less developed countries are presented.
Mechanisms of immunity in typhus infection: analysis of immunity to Rickettsia mooseri infection of guinea pigs

To study the mechanisms of immunity to Rickettsia mooseri (R. typhi) infection, sera and splenic cells collected from nonimmune and immune guinea pigs were inoculated separately into syngeneic nonimmune recipients which were subsequently challenged intradermally. Protection was measured by comparing the course of the challenge infections of recipients with infections initiated with the same rickettsial inocula in nonimmune animals. Recipients of splenic cells collected 21 days after donor infection were protected from lesion development at sites of intradermal challenge and showed fewer rickettsiae in their kidneys. Cells obtained from nonimmune donors did not protect against either skin lesion development at sites of challenge or kidney infection. Antibody-containing sera collected 21 days after donor infection, but not normal sera, reduced levels of kidney infection, but immune sera did not protect against the development of lesions at sites of intradermal challenge. It was concluded that both immune sera and immune splenic cells possess capacities to effect a partial control of the systemic phase of R. mooseri infection in guinea pigs, but that immune splenic cells possess a capacity not shared by immune sera, i.e., the capacity to protect from infection at local sites of intradermal inoculation.
A hybrid Jiles-Atherton/Stoner-Wohlfarth magnetic hysteresis model for inductive sensors and actuators

The Jiles-Atherton (JA) theory of hysteresis is currently used in the majority of CAD tools. The JA model provides precise results in the case of polycrystalline, multi-domain magnetic structures, whose flux-reversal is dominated by pinning mechanisms. Thermal and dynamic response including eddy-current loss and magnetic resonance can also be incorporated. However, it does not account for the shape- and magnetoelastic-anisotropy fields that severely affect the hysteresis loop of single-domain, thin-film structures. In this case the Stoner-Wohlfarth (SW) theory can be applied. Although the SW model provides precise results, it is rarely employed because: (a) it does not account for dynamic response and pinning loss, and (b) its classical formulation is complicated. In this work we expand the use of the alpha parameter employed in the JA theory to model the exchange interaction, in order to account for anisotropy fields. Thus, a hybrid JA/SW model is developed, which incorporates both models into one single formulation. In this way thermal-agitation effects, minor-loops, domain-wall pinning-loss, eddy-current loss, magnetic resonance, shape-, and magnetoelastic-anisotropy can be altogether modeled.
Control of methionine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli by proteolysis

Most bacterial proteins are stable, with half‐lives considerably longer than the generation time. In Escherichia coli, the few exceptions are unstable regulatory proteins. The results presented here indicate that the first enzyme in methionine biosynthesis – homoserine trans‐succinylase (HTS) – is unstable and subject to energy‐dependent proteolysis. The enzyme is stable in triple mutants defective in Lon‐, HslVU‐ and ClpP‐dependent proteases. The instability of the protein is determined by the amino‐terminal part of the protein, and its removal or substitution by the N‐terminal part of β‐galactosidase confers stability. The effect of the amino‐terminal segment is not caused by the N‐end rule, as substitution of the first amino acid does not affect the stability of the protein. HTS is the first biosynthetic E. coli enzyme shown to have a short half‐life and may represent a group of biosynthetic enzymes whose expression is controlled by proteolysis. Alternatively, the proteolytic processing of HTS may be unique to this enzyme and could reflect its central role in regulating bacterial growth, especially at elevated temperatures.
Resilience and depressive disorders.

INTRODUCTION There is considerable variability in the response of individuals to adverse environmental conditions, while some develop psychiatric illnesses like depression, others seem very capable of dealing with it. It is in this observation that the concepts of vulnerability and resilience are rooted. METHODS We conducted a review of the literature by inserting in PubMed the keywords resilience, vulnerability and depressive disorders. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Freud formerly used the so-called crystal-principle to describe the concept of vulnerability: according to this, the different psychopathologies would arise depending on the different psychological weaknesses, just like a crystal thrown to the ground shatters along its lines of cleavage intrinsic to it, albeit invisible. The term resilience has been borrowed from physics where it is used to describe the ability of a material to withstand impact without cracking. In psychology, the term resilience refers to a complex and dynamic multidimensional construct, which derives from the interaction of neurobiological, social and personal factors and indicates the ability to adaptively cope with stress and adversity, preserving a normal physical and psychological functioning. Resilience has proven to be a protective factor against the development of psychiatric disorders such as depression. Making a conceptual leap, the concepts of vulnerability and resilience can be related to the psychodynamic classification of depression postulated by Gaetano Benedetti, who distinguished four kinds of depression: the first due to the failure of the ego, the second to the perversion of the superego, the third to the inhibition of the Id and the fourth to the collapse of the ego ideal. It is possible to improve the resilience of depressed subjects through pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions.
Phonetic Restoration of Temporally Reversed Speech

Early study showed that temporally reversed speech may still be very intelligible. The present work further assessed the role of acoustic cues accounting for the intelligibility of temporally reversed speech. Mandarin sentences were edited to be temporally reversed. Experiment 1 preserved the original consonant segments, and experiment 2 only preserved the temporally reversed fine-structure waveform. Experimental results with normal-hearing listeners showed that for Mandarin speech, listeners could still perfectly understand the temporally reversed speech with a reversion duration up to 50 ms. Preserving original consonant segments did not significantly improve the intelligibility of the temporally reversed speech, suggesting that the reversion processing applied to vowels largely affected the intelligibility of temporally reversed speech. When the local short-time envelope waveform was removed, listeners could still understand stimuli with primarily temporally reversed finestructure waveform, suggesting the perceptual role of temporally reversed fine-structure to the intelligibility of temporally reversed speech.
A Phase II Study of Flavopiridol (Alvocidib) in Combination with Docetaxel in Refractory, Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer

Background/Aims: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PC) harbors frequent alterations in p16, resulting in cell cycle dysregulation. A phase I study of docetaxel and flavopiridol, a pan-cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, demonstrated encouraging clinical activity in PC. This phase II study was designed to further define the efficacy and toxicity of this regimen in patients with previously treated PC. Methods: Patients with gemcitabine-refractory, metastatic PC were treated with docetaxel 35 mg/m2 followed by flavopiridol 80 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Tumor measurements were performed every two cycles. A Simon two-stage design was used to evaluate the primary endpoint of response. Results: Ten patients were enrolled, and 9 were evaluable for response. No objective responses were observed; however, 3 patients (33%) achieved transient stable disease, with one of these patients achieving a 20% reduction in tumor size. Median survival was 4.2 months, with no patients alive at the time of analysis. Adverse events were significant, with 7 patients (78%) requiring ≥1 dose reduction for transaminitis (11%), grade 4 neutropenia (33%), grade 3 fatigue (44%), and grade 3 diarrhea (22%). Conclusions: The combination of flavopiridol and docetaxel has minimal activity and significant toxicity in this patient population. These results reflect the challenges of treating patients with PC in a second-line setting where the risk/benefit equation is tightly balanced.