Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genome‐wide association study identifies ABCG2 (BCRP) as an allopurinol transporter and a determinant of drug response

The first‐line treatment of hyperuricemia, which causes gout, is allopurinol. The allopurinol response is highly variable, with many users failing to achieve target serum uric acid (SUA) levels. No genome‐wide association study (GWAS) has examined the genetic factors affecting allopurinol effectiveness. Using 2,027 subjects in Kaiser Permanente's Genetic Epidemiology Research on Adult Health and Aging (GERA) Cohort, we conducted a GWAS of allopurinol‐related SUA reduction, first in the largest ethnic group, non‐Hispanic white (NHW) subjects, and then in a stratified transethnic meta‐analysis. ABCG2, encoding the efflux pump BCRP, was associated with SUA reduction in NHW subjects (P = 2 × 10−8), and a missense allele (rs2231142) was associated with a reduced response (P = 3 × 10−7) in the meta‐analysis. Isotopic uptake studies in cells demonstrated that BCRP transports allopurinol and genetic variants in ABCG2 affect this transport. Collectively, this first GWAS of allopurinol response demonstrates that ABCG2 is a key determinant of response to the drug.
Controlling Bandgap in Electroactive Polymer-Based Structures

A waveguide with a periodic structure is able to filter waves whose frequencies lie in the band-gap ranges displayed in dispersion diagrams. The lengths of these forbidden bands depend on the contrast in material and geometrical properties of parts of the system which realize the periodicity. In this paper, a novel way to control band gaps is proposed: to set the geometric characteristics of a prestretched waveguide made of soft dielectric elastomer applying an external voltage to pairs of electrodes applied with a regular pattern on the device. The technique proves to be feasible and is able to tune accurately the position of band gaps over all frequency spectrum. For the investigated system, a device able to guide flexural waves, bandgap ranges of about 100-200 Hz have been obtained over frequencies on the order of 1 kHz.
Organisational Culture and Employee Turnover in Saudi Arabian Banks

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the influence of organisational culture on employees’ intention to leave while assessing the mediating effect of job satisfaction and organisational commitment on the relationship. Using a cross sectional survey of 258 Bank employees in Saudi Arabia, the study employed regression and mediation analysis to analyse the data. Using Cameron & Freeman’s (1991) Competing Values Framework (CVF), paper analyses the organisational cultureturnover relationship. The results show that first, job satisfaction is strong to moderately correlated with organisational cultures categorised as clan, adhocracy and hierarchy. Second, organisational commitment is moderately correlated with clan and adhocracy culture. Third, job satisfaction and organisational commitment mediate the culture-turnover link. The findings contribute to organisational culture theory and its impact on employee turnover in context of Saudi Arabia. Further, how the cultural context of the country can also impact on employee expectations of organisational practices.
Early neonatal sudden death or near death syndrome. An epidemiological study of 29 cases

Early neonatal sudden death syndrome (SIDS) is a rare but well known disease entity. Between January 1975 and December 1991, 29 full‐term newborn infants delivered in our maternity unit and, considered healthy at birth, suffered early SIDS (n= 15) or early apparent life threatening events (ALTE) (n= 14). Data from the whole population of live full‐term infants born in our hospital during the past five years have been used as a reference (n = 27 841). The general rate of early SIDS was 0.14 per 1000 (15/107 263). Combining early ALTE cases, the overall rate was 0.27 per 1000 (291107263). A postmortem examination was performed for all infants who died (20/29): no cause of death could be determined, and we did not observe a single case with evident sequelae. There were 9 deaths (31 %) within the first hour after delivery and 12 deaths occurred in the early morning hours (04:00–08:00; RR = 3.76; p= 0.0008). The lowest incidence was in the spring (RR = 0.21; p= 0.03). There was a tendency for an increased incidence during the weekend and the summer. No influence of sex, maternal age, gestational age, infant weight presentation, delivery, anesthesia or presence of meconium‐stained fluid was found. In our opinion, SIDS can take place even during the first hour of life and it is not possible to predict when a baby might be affected. Pediatrically trained caregivers, close observation by the mother during the first few days and resuscitation facilities in maternity wards may be the most important preventive measures to reduce the risk of early SIDS and the consequences of ALTE in the early newborn period.
Financing Channel and Monetary Policy: Evidence from Islamic Banking in Indonesia

Using Indonesia Islamic banks data from 2003 to 2014, this paper employs panel regression methodology by investigating the responses of Islamic banks to changes in financing rate and monetary policy may differ, depending on their characteristics. The results suggest that the financing rate has negative impact on Islamic bank financing, while bank-specific characteristics have positive influence on Islamic bank financing. The degree of size and capital have greater impact than liquidity on Islamic bank financing. On the other hand, changes in monetary policy is insignificant on bank financing, which implies that the transmission of monetary policy through the Islamic segment of the banking sector is weak. Furthermore, the weak impact of monetary policy on bank financing can be explained by the dramatic expansion of Islamic banks during this sample period, which contributed to substantial increase in deposit growth and high liquidity position.
Retrospective study of 289 odontogenic tumors in a Brazilian population

Background Odontogenic tumors (OTs) are considered important among oral lesions because of their clinicopathological heterogeneity, and variable biological behavior. This paper aims to determine the frequency and distribution of OTs, over a period of 10 years, at a public university in Northeastern Brazil and compare this data with previous reports. Material and Methods We reviewed all cases of OTs from oral pathology laboratory of University of Pernambuco (UPE), from 2004 to 2014. Diagnoses were re-evaluated and the tumors were classified according to the latest (2005) World Health Organization Classification of Tumors. In addition, we searched in the English-language literature retrospective studies on OTs that used the same classification. Results Data was obtained allowing the analysis of the tissue hemodynamics. We were able to map the vascularization of the face and it was possible to access three arteries of small diameter (0,60mm angular artery; 0,55mm greater palatine artery; 0,45mm infraorbital artery). Conclusions OTs are uncommon neoplasms with geographic variation. Our clinicopathological features are according to literature. In the present study, KCOT was the most frequent one, showing that the new classification of OTs altered the distribution of these lesions and possibly made KCOT the most common OT observed in diagnostic services worldwide. Key words:Odontogenic tumors, jaw neoplasms, epidemiology, oral pathology.
Ray-tracing simulations of coupled dark energy models

Dark matter and dark energy are usually assumed to couple only gravitationally. An extension to this picture is to model dark energy as a scalar field coupled directly to cold dark matter. This coupling leads to new physical effects, such as a fifth force and a time-dependent dark matter particle mass. In this work we examine the impact that coupling has on weak lensing statistics by constructing realistic simulated weak lensing maps using ray-tracing techniques through N-body cosmological simulations. We construct maps for different lensing quantities, covering a range of scales from a few arcminutes to several degrees. The concordance Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model is compared to different coupled dark energy models, described either by an exponential scalar field potential (standard coupled dark energy scenario) or by a SUGRA potential (bouncing model). We analyse several statistical quantities and our results, with sources at low redshifts are largely consistent with previous work on cosmic microwave background lensing by Carbone et al. The most significant differences from the ΛCDM model are due to the enhanced growth of the perturbations and to the effective friction term in non-linear dynamics. For the most extreme models, we see differences in the power spectra up to 40 per cent compared to the ΛCDM model. The different time evolution of the linear matter overdensity can account for most of the differences, but when controlling for this using a ΛCDM model having the same normalization, the overall signal is smaller due to the effect of the friction term appearing in the equation of motion for dark matter particles.
SPECIATION IN ANCIENT CRYPTIC SPECIES COMPLEXES: EVIDENCE FROM THE MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF BRACHIONUS PLICATILIS (ROTIFERA)

Abstract Continental lake-dwelling zooplanktonic organisms have long been considered cosmopolitan species with little geographic variation in spite of the isolation of their habitats. Evidence of morphological cohesiveness and high dispersal capabilities support this interpretation. However, this view has been challenged recently as many such species have been shown either to comprise cryptic species complexes or to exhibit marked population genetic differentiation and strong phylogeographic structuring at a regional scale. Here we investigate the molecular phylogeny of the cosmopolitan passively dispersing rotifer Brachionus plicatilis (Rotifera: Monogononta) species complex using nucleotide sequence variation from both nuclear (ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 1, ITS1) and mitochondrial (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I, COI) genes. Analysis of rotifer resting eggs from 27 salt lakes in the Iberian Peninsula plus lakes from four continents revealed nine genetically divergent lineages. The high level of sequence divergence, absence of hybridization, and extensive sympatry observed support the specific status of these lineages. Sequence divergence estimates indicate that the B. plicatilis complex began diversifying many millions of years ago, yet has showed relatively high levels of morphological stasis. We discuss these results in relation to the ecology and genetics of aquatic invertebrates possessing dispersive resting propagules and address the apparent contradiction between zooplanktonic population structure and their morphological stasis.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells Facilitate In Vitro Development of Human Preantral Follicle

Biological folliculogenesis is a lengthy and complicated process, and follicle growth microenvironment is poorly understood. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to establish a supportive microenvironment for wound repair, autoimmune diseases amelioration, and tumor development. Therefore, this study is aimed to investigate whether MSCs could help to reconstruct a microenvironment to facilitate the in vitro follicle development. Here we show human MSCs significantly promote the survival rates, increase the growth velocity, and improve the viability of preantral follicles in a dose-dependent manner. Further analyses reveal that growth differentiation factor 9 and bone morphogenetic protein 15 in oocytes and inhibin βA and transforming growth factor β1 in granulose cells within the follicles cocultured with MSCs express notably higher than those in the follicles cultured without MSCs. In summary, our findings demonstrate a previously unrecognized function of MSCs in promoting preantral follicle development and provide a useful strategy to optimize fertility preservation and restoration by facilitating in vitro follicle growth.
Enhanced Medial Prefrontal-Default Mode Network Functional Connectivity in Chronic Pain and Its Association with Pain Rumination

Rumination is a form of thought characterized by repetitive focus on discomforting emotions or stimuli. In chronic pain disorders, rumination can impede treatment efficacy. The brain mechanisms underlying rumination about chronic pain are not understood. Interestingly, a link between rumination and functional connectivity (FC) of the brain's default mode network (DMN) has been identified within the context of mood disorders. We, and others, have also found DMN dysfunction in chronic pain populations. The medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is a key node of the DMN that is anatomically connected with the descending pain modulatory system. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that in patients with chronic pain, the mPFC exhibits abnormal FC related to the patient's degree of rumination about their pain. Seventeen patients with idiopathic temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy controls underwent resting state functional MRI, and rumination about pain was assessed through the rumination subscale of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Compared with healthy controls, we found that TMD patients exhibited enhanced mPFC FC with other DMN regions, including the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus (PCu) and retrosplenial cortex. We also found that individual differences in pain rumination in the chronic pain patients (but not in healthy controls) were positively correlated to mPFC FC with the PCC/PCu, retrosplenial cortex, medial thalamus, and periaqueductal/periventricular gray. These data implicate communication within the DMN and of the DMN with the descending modulatory system as a mechanism underlying the degree to which patients ruminate about their chronic pain.
Malnutrition, age and the risk of parasitic disease: visceral leishmaniasis revisited

Children are said to be at greater risk of developing visceral leishmaniasis (VL) when they are younger and more malnourished. If malnutrition really is associated with VL, this potentially fatal and visible disease may be a general indicator of community health among the rural and suburban poor. Previous conclusions reached about the roles of malnutrition and age in VL epidemiology are questionable because they may have been confounded by transmission rate, because they have not been able to distinguish between different mechanisms of acquiring immunity, and because empirical observations have not been compared with theoretical expectations. Here we offer a framework with which to investigate these questions quantitatively, and do so with published data from endemic areas of Brazil. We conclude that children are indeed more susceptible to VL when they are younger and more malnourished, but it remains unclear whether the immunity to VL acquired with age is always acquired as a result of infection. The significance for leishmaniasis control, and for the control of other diseases associated with malnutrition, will depend on underlying mechanisms, which are not yet understood.
An Analysis of Language in University Students' Text Messages

Concerns over effects of 'textisms' on literacy have been reinforced by research identifying processing costs associated with reading textisms. But to what extent do such studies reflect actual textism use? This study examined the textual characteristics of 936 text messages in English 13391 words. Message length, nonstandard spelling, sender and message characteristics and word frequency were analyzed. The data showed that 25% of word content used nonstandard spelling, the most frequently occurring category involving omission of capital letters. Types of nonstandard spelling varied only slightly depending on the purpose of the text message, while the overall proportion of nonstandard spelling did not differ significantly. Less than 0.2% of content was 'semantically unrecoverable. ' Implications for experimental studies of textisms are discussed.
An examination of online swapping and peer-to-peer renting : exploring the providers, takers, and non-users of collaborative consumption.

Purpose. With the advent of social media and advances in Peer-to-Peer (P2P) online platforms, the phenomena of Collaborative Consumption (CC) has been developing in the popular press as a socioeconomic revolution that veers away from individual hyper-consumption and embraces the efficiencies of sharing and collaboration. In light of this groundswell, this thesis examines how twosided digital platforms mediate the behaviour of peers in two CC website types: (1) swapping; and (2) renting. Methodology. An exploration of philosophy for a sociological imagination yields the creation of a Model of Theoretical Perspectives inspired by critical realism. Using these philosophical foundations, semi-structured interviews with members of swapping and renting websites are conducted under the lens of an exploratory, grounded theory approach that asks, “What do we have here? ” Findings. The nature of the experience for swapping and renting users is explained by dimensionalising the field of Collaborative Consumption using thematic analysis. Six referential questions are applied to Bardhi and Eckhardt’s (2012) dimensions of access-based consumption: what (Type of Transferred Object), how (Consumer Involvement), when (Temporality), where (Spatial Anonymity), with whom (Interpersonal Anonymity), and why (Market Mediation and Political Consumerism). Contributions. The nature of the experiences derived from these activities and how they may differ between user types is discussed. Motivating and deterring factors behind CC activities (swapping and renting) are compared and contrasted between different user types (Providers, Takers, and Non-Users). Findings from this study have implications for the design, implementation, and management of systems that encourage barter-trade and access-based forms of Collaborative Consumption. In particular, five enabling factors have been identified to overcome the deterrents for using these types of websites. Finally, a reflection of contributions and suggestions for future research is also provided.
The Impact of Cost, Customer Experience, Ease of Use, and Trust towards Adoption of Online Banking

The purpose of this study is to examine the factors that influence the adoption of online banking in Malaysia, particularly trust, customers’ experience, cost, and ease of use. Questionnaire was distributed to 120 online banking users in Kota Damansara, Selangor, Malaysia. Results showed that customer trust and experience have significant relationship towards adoption of online banking. Nonetheless, cost and ease of use was found to be insignificant in this study. The results provide important information for bank providers in designing a mass-oriented or user-friendly internet banking that would attract people to adopt online banking.
Overproduction of polyomavirus middle T antigen in mammalian cells through the use of an adenovirus vector

To overproduce biologically active polyomavirus middle T antigen, we used an adenovirus vector and human 293 cells as hosts. Two helper-independent recombinant adenoviruses were isolated that contain a hybrid transcription unit, in differing orientations, at a site in the adenovirus genome from which the E1a and most of the E1b transcription units have been deleted. The hybrid transcription unit consists of the adenovirus type 2 major late promoter and tripartite leader and a cDNA segment capable of encoding polyomavirus middle T antigen and accompanying 3' RNA-processing signals. Both recombinant viruses were stable and replicated to high titers in human 293 cells. The polyomavirus sequences were expressed, predominantly at late times after infection of 293 cells, to yield mRNAs that encoded middle T antigen. One of the recombinant viruses also expressed a middle T antigen-related protein in 293 cells. The latter was translated from one of several novel mRNA species that resulted from aberrant splicing and incomplete RNA processing of precursor RNA transcripts. Comparison of the amount of middle T antigen produced in 3T6 cells infected with polyomavirus with that in 293 cells infected with either of the recombinant adenoviruses, under optimal conditions for each system, revealed at least a 10-fold greater yield of the protein on a per-cell basis in the latter system than in the former. The recombinant-virus-encoded middle T antigen was biologically active, as evidenced by its ability to associate with and serve as a substrate for human pp60c-src. The functionality of the middle T antigen was further confirmed by demonstrating that both recombinant viruses efficiently transformed Rat-1 cells. These recombinant viruses will be useful to overproduce middle T antigen and to introduce the polyomavirus oncogene into a wide variety of mammalian cells.
Moraxella catarrhalis in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: burden of disease and immune response.

RATIONALE Moraxella catarrhalis is frequently present in the sputum of adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Little is known about the role of M. catarrhalis in this common disease. OBJECTIVE To elucidate the burden of disease, the dynamics of carriage, and immune responses to M. catarrhalis in COPD. METHODS Prospective cohort study of 104 adults with COPD in an outpatient clinic at the Buffalo Veterans Affairs Medical Center. MEASUREMENTS Clinical information, sputum cultures, molecular typing of isolates, and immunoassays to measure antibodies to M. catarrhalis. MAIN RESULTS Over 81 months, 104 patients made 3,009 clinic visits, 560 during exacerbations. Molecular typing identified 120 episodes of acquisition and clearance of M. catarrhalis in 50 patients; 57 (47.5%) of the acquisitions were associated with clinical exacerbations. No instances of simultaneous acquisition of a new strain of another pathogen were observed. The duration of carriage of M. catarrhalis was shorter with exacerbations compared with asymptomatic colonization (median, 31.0 vs. 40.4 days; p = 0.01). Reacquisition of the same strain was rare. The intensity of the serum IgG response was greater after exacerbations than asymptomatic colonization (p = 0.009). Asymptomatic colonization was associated with a greater frequency of a sputum IgA response than exacerbation (p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS M. catarrhalis likely causes approximately 10% of exacerbations of COPD, accounting for approximately 2 to 4 million episodes annually. The organism is cleared efficiently after a short duration of carriage. Patients develop strain-specific protection after clearance of M. catarrhalis from the respiratory tract.