Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Need for Ibogaine in Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Samantha Jones graduated valedictorian of her high school class. She had big dreams of becoming a surgeon and had even been offered a full scholarship at an Ivy League university. Something, however, went terribly wrong. At 20 years old, Samantha has been disowned by her family, fired by her employer, evicted by her landlord, and has lost her daughter to foster care. She is living on the streets, selling her body for sex to get enough money to feed her $200-a-day addiction to heroin. On a good day, Samantha wakes up and immediately shoots heroin to “get well. ” On a bad day, she is forced to go out on the street and beg for money or sell her body just to come up with enough money to shoot up. Samantha has been in and out of rehab facilities and has spent time in jail for prostitution and possession of a controlled substance. Each time, she relapses within days of her release. She is currently on methadone maintenance in an effort to ward off heroin withdrawal symptoms, but instead of taking the methadone, Samantha is selling it on the streets for money to buy the heroin
BRCA1 5272‐1G>A and BRCA2 5374delTATG are founder mutations of high relevance for genetic counselling in breast/ovarian cancer families of Spanish origin

Infante M, Durán M, Acedo A, Pérez‐Cabornero L, Sanz DJ, García‐González M, Beristain E, Esteban‐Cardeñosa E, de la Hoya M, Teulé A, Vega A, Tejada M‐I, Lastra E, Miner C, Velasco EA. BRCA1 5272‐1G>A and BRCA2 5374delTATG are founder mutations of high relevance for genetic counselling in breast/ovarian cancer families of Spanish origin.
Can adapting the homes of older people and providing assistive technology pay its way?

BACKGROUND Adaptations and assistive technology (AT) have an important role in enabling older people to remain in their own homes. OBJECTIVE To measure the feasibility and cost of adaptations and AT, and the scope for these to substitute and supplement formal care. DESIGN Detailed design studies to benchmark the adaptability of 82 properties against the needs of seven notional users. SETTING Social rented housing sector. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Measures of the adaptability of properties, costs of care, adaptations and AT, and relationships between these costs. RESULTS The adaptability of properties varies according to many design factors and the needs of occupiers. The most adaptable properties were ground floor flats and bungalows; the least were houses, maisonettes and flats in converted houses. Purpose-built sheltered properties were generally more adaptable than corresponding mainstream properties but the opposite was the case for bungalows. Adaptations and AT can substitute for and supplement formal care, and in most cases the initial investment in adaptations and AT is recouped through subsequently lower care costs within the average life expectancy of a user. CONCLUSION Appropriately selected adaptations and AT can make a significant contribution to the provision of living environments which facilitate independence. They can both substitute for traditional formal care services and supplement these services in a cost-effective way.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Mutations during the First Month of Infection Are Preferentially Found in Known Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Epitopes

ABSTRACT The full protein coding region of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) genomes were sequenced using plasma collected from nine African-Americans prior to seroconversion and 7 to 28 days later. HIV mutations emerged in seven of these subjects at a genomewide rate of 2% per year. The location of nonsynonymous (NS) HIV mutations within these subjects was compared to their potential HLA-A and B types restricted CTL epitopes reported in the Los Alamos National Laboratory HIV immunology database. A statistically significant (P < 0.005) number of the early NS mutations (13.5%) were found within previously reported CTL epitopes. A virus sequencing and reported CTL epitopes database analysis therefore support a model where a significant proportion of very early nonsynonymous HIV mutations are selected by CTL.
Effect of knee joint angle on motor unit synchronization

Activity of the vasti has been argued to vary through knee range of movement due to changes in passive support of the patellofemoral joint and the relative contribution of these muscles to knee extension. Efficient function of the knee is dependent on optimal control of the patellofemoral joint, largely through coordinated activity of the medial and lateral quadriceps. Motor unit synchronization may provide a mechanism to coordinate the activity of vastus medialis (VMO) and vastus lateralis (VL), and may be more critical in positions of reduced passive support for the patellofemoral joint (i.e., full extension). Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether the degree of motor unit synchronization between the vasti muscles is dependent on joint angle. Electromyographic (EMG) recordings of single motor unit action potentials (MUAPs) were made from VMO and multiunit recordings from VL during isometric contractions of the quadriceps at 0°, 30°, and 60° of knee flexion. The degree of synchronization between motor unit firing was evaluated by identification of peaks in the rectified EMG averages of VL, triggered from MUAPs in VMO. The proportion of cases in which there was a significant peak in the triggered averages was calculated. There was no significant difference in the degree of synchronization between the vasti at different knee angles (p = 0.57). These data suggest that this basic coordinative mechanism between the vasti muscles is controlled consistently throughout knee range of motion, and is not augmented at specific angles where the requirement for dynamic control of stability is increased. © 2006 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 24:1420–1426, 2006
Long-term biosolids application effects on metal concentrations in soil and bermudagrass forage.

The long-term application of biosolids that periodically contained elevated metal concentrations has raised questions about potential effects on animal health. To address these concerns, we determined metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Hg, Mo, Ni, Se, and Zn) in both soil and bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. ] forage from 10 fields in the following categories of biosolids application: six or more years (>6YR), less than six years (<6YR), and no applications (NS). Soil metal concentrations in all groups were similar to values reported for mineral soils in Georgia, and well below USEPA cumulative limits. Average metal concentrations in the forage were below the maximum tolerable level (MTL) for beef cattle, although two biosolids-amended fields in the >6YR group produced forage that was at or near the MTL for Cd and Mo, and one field in the <6YR group produced forage above the MTL for Cd. The Cu to Mo ratios in forage decreased with increasing time of sludge application, with the average in the >6YR group at a proposed 5:1 Cu to Mo ratio limit to protect ruminant health. Sulfur concentrations in the forage from all three groups was near the MTL of 4 g kg(-1). The study indicated that toxic levels of metals have not accumulated in the soils due to long-term biosolids application. Overall forage quality from the biosolids-amended fields was similar to that of commercially fertilized fields; however, due to the relatively high S and potential for a low Cu to Mo ratio, Cu supplements should be used to ensure ruminant health.
Ouabain Pharmacokinetics in Dog and Man: Determination by Radioimmunoassay

The pharmacokinetics of the relatively polar and rapidly acting cardiac glycoside ouabain (G-strophanthin) were studied in dogs and human subjects by the use of a newly devised radioimmunoassay technic. This method had high specificity and a sensitivity of less than 0.1 ng of ouabain per ml of plasma or urine. After administration of a single intravenous dose, the plasma ouabain concentration fell rapidly in both dogs and humans. After 7 hours, a phase of exponential decline was reached which had a half-life of 18 hours in dogs and 21 hours in normal human subjects. Repeated intravenous administration of ouabain to human subjects for 9 consecutive days resulted in the establishment of a plateau of plasma concentration and urinary excretion after 4-5 days, confirming plasma and urinary half-lives in the 19-24-hour range. The mean ratio of renal clearance of ouabain to that of creatinine was 0.81 in the human subjects. The plasma half-life of ouabain determined in these studies is in good agreement with previous observations of the half-life of dissipation of positive inotropy and of slowing of ventricular response to atrial fibrillation after ouabain administration.
Pulmonary acid aspiration syndrome: should prophylaxis be routine?

The gastric contents of three groups of patients were aspirated at the beginning and end of anaesthesia. There were 62 prepared patients, 28 emergency patients untreated and 69 prepared patients who were given 15 ml of 0.3 M sodium citrate mixture at the time of premedication. In approximately 50% of both emergency and prepared patients pH of gastric contents initially suggested the risk of developing acid aspiration syndrome, had inhalation occurred. The proportion of untreated patients in whom more than 40 ml of gastric contents was present at induction and when the tracheal tube was removed were 13% and 31% respectively. The risks were greater in those undergoing upper abdominal operations. Sodium citrate, as used in this study, was shown to be an ineffective antacid. The use of Mist. magnesium trisilicate B.P. as preoperative antacid is urged strongly.
[The analysis of the bipolarity features in students of arts and the students of technology].

BACKGROUND The aim of the research was to assess the prevalence of the bipolar spectrum features among students of a variety of faculties, by dividing them arbitrarily into 'art' or 'technology' cohorts. MATERIAL AND METHODS 120 subjects were examined, including 57 students of arts, and 63 students of technology. The tools used included a basic socio-demographic questionnaire and the Hirschfeld Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). RESULTS The bipolar spectrum features (as identified by the MDQ responses) were significantly more prevalent among the students of arts, as compared to the students of technology (28.2% vs. 4.8%, p < or = 0.001; OR = 7.8; CI 95%: 2.13-28.51; p < 0.01). Moreover, in comparison to the students of technology, the students of arts were more likely to: 1) report mood patterns of intermittent 'highs' and 'lows' (49.1% vs. 15.9%, p < or = 0.0001; OR = 5.11; CI 95%: 2.18-11.99; p < or = 0.001); 2) seek for psychiatric or psychological support (12.3% vs. 1.5%; p < or = 0.05; OR = 5.2; CI 95%: 1.79-15.21; p < or = 0.01); 3) have a history of utilisation of psychotropic medications (31% vs. 7.9%, p < or = 0.001; OR = 8.7; CI 95%: 1.03-72.9; p < or = 0.05). They were also more likely to use psychoactive substances (other than alcohol). CONCLUSIONS The considerable prevalence of the bipolarity features (as measured by the MDQ), combined with higher prevalence of intermittent periods of elevated or depressed mood, higher likelihood of seeking for psychiatric or psychological treatment, and higher prevalence of using psychoactive medications/substances in the cohort of the students of arts indicate a significant association between artistic talents and creativity, and the bipolar spectrum disorders.
Topological properties of gene regulatory networks with qualitatively different gene expression dynamics in spatially organised systems

FACULTY OF SCIENCES SCHOOL OF COMPUTING SCIENCES Doctor of Philosophy by Konstantinos Bougioukos In biological systems, gene expression takes place when genes generate gene products and gene expression levels correspond to concentration levels of these products. Gene expression levels within a single cell are determined by a network of regulatory interactions among genes mediated by gene products. In spatially extended systems consisting of multiple cells gene expression levels within a cell are also affected by gene activity taking place in neighbouring cells. The interplay between spatial interactions among neighbouring cells and the gene regulatory network (GRN) within each cell may qualitatively alter the gene expression dynamics and affects spatially extended essential biological processes such as cell differentiation, pattern formation and morphogenesis. This thesis dealt with: 1. Computational modelling of the interplay between GRN and cell spatial interactions and simulating the spatially organised gene expression dynamics. 2. Reproduce phenomena of gene expression heterogeneity in a spatially extended system and not in a null model and scoring GRNs according to their capacity to organise these phenomena. 3. Investigate associations between network topological properties of GRNs and the capacity of networks to organise gene expression heterogeneity in spatially extended systems.
Foreign Portfolio Investment and Corporate Innovation

We investigate whether foreign institutional investors foster or hinder corporate innovation. Using firm-level data from 30 countries in 2001-2010, we find that firms with higher foreign institutional ownership invest more in R&D and generate more patents. Using an exogenous increase in foreign institutional holdings that follows a firm’s inclusion in the MSCI index, we argue that the effect of foreign institutional ownership on corporate innovation is causal. The evidence suggests that monitoring by foreign institutions leads managers to exploit increase innovation productivity and firm value. These findings challenge the conventional wisdom that foreign portfolio investment is “hot money” that is motivated by short term profits and detrimental to long-term investment.
Structure and biosynthesis of the ergot pigments.

In addition to the well known alkaloids, ergot contains two groups of yellow to red pigments, between which there is a close and novel biogenetic relation. The pigments are anthraquinonecarboxylic acids and dimeric hydroxanthone derivatives (ergochromes), the structures of which, including the absolute configurations at 80 centers of chirality, have been completely determined. The intermediates involved in the biosynthesis have been largely established by feeding with labeled precursors, and its course by model experiments.
The Glutamate Transport Inhibitor L‐trans‐pyrrolidine‐2,4‐dicarboxylate Indirectly Evokes NMDA Receptor Mediated Neurotoxicity in Rat Cortical Cultures

Because of the well‐documented importance of glutamate uptake in protecting neurons against glutamate toxicity, we were interested in testing the effects of L‐trans‐pyrrolidine‐2,4‐ dicarboxylate (PDC) on rat cortical cultures. This compound is a substrate for glutamate transporters and is a potent glutamate transport inhibitor that does not interact significantly with glutamate receptors. Using a 30 min exposure, and assessing neuronal survival after 20‐24 h, PDC was neurotoxic in conventional astrocyte‐rich cortical cultures, with an EC50 in these cultures of 320 ± 157 μM. In astrocyte‐poor cultures, an EC50 for PDC of 50 ± 5 μM was determined. The neurotoxicity of PDC in both astrocyte‐rich and astrocyte‐poor cultures was blocked by the NMDA antagonist MK‐801, but not by the non‐NMDA receptor antagonist 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (CNQX). We tested the possibility that the neurotoxicity of PDC might be due to release of excitatory amino acids using several approaches. After pre‐loading cells with the non‐metabolizable analogue of glutamate, [3H]‐D‐aspartate, first we demonstrated that PDC caused significant efflux of [3H]‐D‐aspartate. This effect of PDC was dependent upon extracellular sodium. In contrast with glutamate neurotoxicity, PDC neurotoxicity was inhibited by removal of extracellular sodium. In the presence of 1 mM PDC, sodium caused neurotoxicity with an EC50 of 18 ± 7.6 mM. Tetrodotoxin had no effect on either PDC neurotoxicity or on PDC‐evoked [3H]‐D‐aspartate release. PDC‐evoked release of [3H]‐D‐aspartate was demonstrable in astrocyte cultures with no neurons present. PDC also evoked release of endogenous glutamate. Finally, the neurotoxicity of PDC was blocked by coincubation with glutamate‐pyruvate transaminase plus pyruvate to degrade extracellular glutamate. These results demonstrate the neurotoxicity of PDC, and suggest that the mechanism of this toxicity is the glutamate transporter‐dependent accumulation of glutamate in the extracellular space.
Turnover Intention among Information Technology Professionals: A Meta-Analytical Perspective

The turnover intentions of information technology (IT) professionals have drawn the attention of IS scholars for over 30 years. The pursuit of the contributing factors to turnover intention has yielded a wide range of antecedents which Joseph et al. (2007) summarized in a meta-analysis. A sample of moderators were also uncovered to explain some of the variation in the results of the studies. Despite this meta-analysis, IS researchers continue to identify a disjointed set of antecedents contributing to the turnover intention of IT professionals. This research aims to re-analyze the studies of turnover intention of IT professionals in the literature via meta-analysis. The ultimate goal is to shed light on possible new moderators that can further explain the conflicting results identified in the IT workforce research.
Disruption of lolCDE, Encoding an ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter, Is Lethal for Escherichia coli and Prevents Release of Lipoproteins from the Inner Membrane

ABSTRACT ATP-binding cassette transporter LolCDE was previously identified, by using reconstituted proteoliposomes, as an apparatus catalyzing the release of outer membrane-specific lipoproteins from the inner membrane of Escherichia coli. Mutations resulting in defective LolD were previously shown to be lethal for E. coli. The amino acid sequences of LolC and LolE are similar to each other, but the necessity of both proteins for lipoprotein release has not been proved. Moreover, previous reconstitution experiments did not clarify whether or not LolCDE is the sole apparatus for lipoprotein release. To address these issues, a chromosomal lolC-lolD-lolE null mutant harboring a helper plasmid that carries the lolCDE genes and a temperature-sensitive replicon was constructed. The mutant failed to grow at a nonpermissive temperature because of the depletion of LolCDE. In addition to functional LolD, both LolC and LolE were required for growth. At a nonpermissive temperature, the outer membrane lipoproteins were mislocalized in the inner membrane since LolCDE depletion inhibited the release of lipoproteins from the inner membrane. Furthermore, both LolC and LolE were essential for the release of lipoproteins. On the other hand, LolCDE depletion did not affect the translocation of a lipoprotein precursor across the inner membrane and subsequent processing to the mature lipoprotein. From these results, we conclude that the LolCDE complex is an essential ABC transporter for E. coli and the sole apparatus mediating the release of outer membrane lipoproteins from the inner membrane.
Binding and inactivation of prostacyclin (PGI2) by human erythrocytes

Summary. Prostacyclin (PGI2), the most potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation known, is rapidly hydrolysed in aqueous solution at neutral pH to its inactive derivative 6‐keto‐PGF1α. In previous studies (Willems et al, 1979), we found that PGI2 is stabilized by plasma. Yet, PGI2 is rapidly inactivated in vivo. These findings prompted us to study the fate of PGI2 when incubated in whole human blood. After 20 min of incubation (at 37°C, pH 7·8), 29 ± 10% of the amount of PGI2, added to whole blood, remained in the supernatant plasma whereas, under the same conditions, 80 ± 3% and 86 ± 2% were recovered when PGI2 was added to platelet‐rich plasma or cell‐free plasma, respectively. When PGI2 was incubated with washed erythrocytes resuspended in plasma, 20 ± 15% of the added PGI2 remained in the supernatant after 10 min of incubation. These findings indicate that PGI2, when incubated with whole blood, is preferentially bound to erythrocytes. To study the kinetics of binding in more detail, [3H]PGI2 was incubated with washed erythrocytes resuspended in plasma. The binding was time‐ and concentration‐dependent. The observed binding of label represented binding of [3H]PGI2, because (1) acid‐treated label did not bind to erythrocytes; (2) no substantial binding of [3H]6‐keto‐PGF1α occurred, and (3) changes in the specific activity of the PGI2 preparation did not alter the binding percentage of labelled PGI2. The binding of [3H]PGI2 was not influenced by PGE1 or 6‐keto‐PGF1α. Repeated incubations of erythrocytes with PGI2 revealed that PGI2 was rapidly degraded into a biologically inactive non‐binding substance, presumably 6‐keto‐PGF1α. Binding and metabolism of PGI2 by erythrocytes may explain the apparent instability of PGI2 in whole blood and provides an explanation for the rapid loss of the biological effects of PGI2 on termination of the infusion.
Systemic sarcoidal reaction in tattoo

Following extensive tattooing, a 31‐year‐old man developed symptoms similar to those of systemic sarcoidosis. Histological examination of the skin lesions, regional lymph nodes and the lung tissue revealed noncaseating granulomatous reaction. Uveitis was also observed, Electron microscopic examination of lung specimens revealed fragments of red tattoo granules. X‐ray microanalysis of the pigment granules observed in red skin and lung lesions showed elements of mercury, aluminium and silicon. The finding of tattoo pigments in the lung tissues has not been previously described.
CS 2429-Comm . Complexity : Applications and New Directions Distributed Computing and Communication Complexity

In these notes, we study the intersection of communication complexity and distributed computing. To understand why distributed computing researchers care about communication complexity tools and results, we briefly turn our attention to distributed computing. In traditional distributed computing models, local computation is free, and communication between parties is expensive. Typical complexity measures include the number of messages sent (message complexity), the total number of bits sent (bit complexity), and the total number of rounds of computation in synchronous models (round complexity). Communication complexity is interested in these same complexity measures, and the most common communication complexity models are very similar (in some cases identical) to distributed computing models. In part, this is because communication complexity emerged from the study of distributed computing, and early interest in its models was driven by applications in distributed computing. For example, number-on-forehead models, wherein each player can see only the inputs of other players, were initially considered unrealistic (and less interesting) because they did not coincide with distributed computing models. In contrast, number-in-hand models, wherein each player sees only her own input, can be applied immediately to distributed computing problems, and have been studied extensively.