Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
UvrD and UvrD252 Counteract RecQ, RecJ, and RecFOR in a rep Mutant of Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Rep and UvrD are two related Escherichia coli helicases, and inactivating both is lethal. Based on the observation that the synthetic lethality of rep and uvrD inactivation is suppressed in the absence of the recombination presynaptic proteins RecF, RecO, or RecR, it was proposed that UvrD is essential in the rep mutant to counteract a deleterious RecFOR-dependent RecA binding. We show here that the synthetic lethality of rep and uvrD mutations is also suppressed by recQ and recJ inactivation but not by rarA inactivation. Furthermore, it is independent of the action of UvrD in nucleotide excision repair and mismatch repair. These observations support the idea that UvrD counteracts a deleterious RecA binding to forks blocked in the rep mutant. An ATPase-deficient mutant of UvrD [uvrD(R284A)] is dominant negative in a rep mutant, but only in the presence of all RecQJFOR proteins, suggesting that the UvrD(R284A) mutant protein is deleterious when it counteracts one of these proteins. In contrast, the uvrD252 mutant (G30D), which exhibits a strongly decreased ATPase activity, is viable in a rep mutant, where it allows replication fork reversal. We conclude that the residual ATPase activity of UvrD252 prevents a negative effect on the viability of the rep mutant and allows UvrD to counteract the action of RecQ, RecJ, and RecFOR at forks blocked in the rep mutant. Models for the action of UvrD at blocked forks are proposed.
An ultra-low-power medium access control protocol for body sensor network

In this paper, a medium access control (MAC) protocol designed for body sensor network (BSN-MAC) is proposed. BSN-MAC is an adaptive, feedback-based and IEEE 802.15. 4-compatible MAC protocol. Due to the traffic coupling and sensor diversity characteristics of BSNs, common MAC protocols can not satisfy the unique requirements of the biomedical sensors in BSN. BSN-MAC exploits the feedback information from the deployed sensors to form a closed-loop control of the MAC parameters. A control algorithm is proposed to enable the BSN coordinator to adjust parameters of the IEEE 802.15. 4 superframe to achieve both energy efficiency and low latency on energy critical nodes. We evaluate the performance of BSN-MAC using energy efficiency as the primary metric
Occult hepatitis B virus infection in immunized children born to carrier mothers

The prevalence of occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (OBI) in children due to mother‐to‐child transmission (MTCT) despite immunoprophylaxis remains controversial and is still unknown in Japan. The aim of this study was to determine the OBI prevalence in such children in Japan and identify the genomic mutations that might be associated with the pathogenesis of OBI in children.
Modeling and Analysis of Radiated Emissions and Signal Integrity of Capacitively Loaded Printed Circuit Board Interconnections

This paper proposes methods for the modeling and analysis of signal integrity (SI) and radiated emission (RE) of capacitively loaded printed circuit board interconnections. Two techniques are considered for achieving a high level of SI, namely, source series damping and destination parallel damping. Low-order models are developed for the two methods, which enable a comparison of their SI performance and the identification of the key parameters that affect SI. Under certain conditions, the two methods are shown to have approximately the same SI performance. However, the two techniques can exhibit different characteristics in other respects, such as power dissipation, peak current, and RE. One particular characteristic that is studied in this paper is the performance with respect to far-field REs. A key objective of this paper is to develop a quantitative analysis and a qualitative understanding of the interplay between electromagnetic compatibility-electromagnetic interference and SI for the two damping techniques.
Mechanism of the ropivacaine‐induced increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in rat aortic smooth muscle

Background: Ropivacaine is a long‐acting local anesthetic with low cardiac toxicity that induces vasoconstriction in vitro and in vivo. Vascular smooth muscle tone is regulated by changes in both intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the mechanism underlying the increase in [Ca2+]i in ropivacaine‐induced vascular contraction.
Synthesis of Bioactive Chlorogenic Acid-Silica Hybrid Materials via the Sol–Gel Route and Evaluation of Their Biocompatibility

Natural phenol compounds are gaining a great deal of attention because of their potential use as prophylactic and therapeutic agents in many diseases, as well as in applied science for their preventing role in oxidation deterioration. With the aim to synthetize new phenol-based materials, the sol–gel method was used to embed different content of the phenolic antioxidant chlorogenic acid (CGA) within silica matrices to obtain organic-inorganic hybrid materials. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) measurements were used to characterize the prepared materials. The new materials were screened for their bioactivity and antioxidant potential. To this latter purpose, direct DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazolin-6-sulfonic acid) methods were applied: radical scavenging capability appeared strongly dependent on the phenol amount in investigated hybrids, and became pronounced, mainly toward the ABTS radical cation, when materials with CGA content equal to 15 wt% and 20 wt% were analyzed. The in vitro biocompatibility of the synthetized materials was estimated by using the MTT assay towards fibroblast NIH 3T3 cells, human keratinocyte HaCaT cells, and the neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. As cell viability and morphology of tested cell lines seemed to be unaffected by new materials, the attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR method was applied to deeply measure the effects of the hybrids in the three different cell lines.
Fielding standardized patients in primary care settings: lessons from a study using unannounced standardized patients to assess preventive care practices.

OBJECTIVES To document detection and suspicion rates of unannounced standardized patients visiting community-based practices. DESIGN Primary care physicians were recruited to participate in a study using standardized patients. Four standardized patient scenarios were used. SETTING Community-based primary care physicians' practices in southern Ontario between September 1994 and August 1995. STUDY PARTICIPANTS Sixty-two primary care physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A 'believability' questionnaire completed after all four standardized patients had visited the practices. RESULTS Of the primary care physicians approached, 50% (62) agreed to participate. Twenty-one per cent of all visits were suspected as standardized patient encounters. Forty-six per cent suspected one or more standardized patients. Only five physicians (8%) suspected all four standardized patients. Reasons for suspecting standardized patients were associated with the characteristics of the physician's practices, the physician's practice profile and the standardized patient cover story. CONCLUSION The portrayal of asymptomatic patients seeking a new primary care physician presents unique challenges. Carefully constructed cover stories, and detailed knowledge of the local area and of the practices of the participating physicians is required to allow standardized patients cases to be tailored to fit into primary care settings without arousing suspicion.
Evidence for linkage of stature to chromosome 3p26 in a large U.K. Family data set ascertained for type 2 diabetes.

We have analyzed data from 573 pedigrees from the United Kingdom for evidence for linkage to loci influencing adult stature. Our data set comprised 1,214 diabetic and 163 nondiabetic siblings for whom height data were available. We used variance-components analysis implemented in GENEHUNTER 2 and a modification of the Haseman-Elston regression method, HE-COM. We found evidence for a locus on 3p26 (LOD score 3.17) influencing height in this adult sample, with less-significant evidence for loci on chromosomes 7, 10, 15, 17, 19, and 20. Our findings extend similar recent studies in Scandinavian and Quebecois populations, adding further evidence that height is indeed under the control of multiple genes.
Changing characteristics of schizophrenic patients admitted to state hospitals.

OBJECTIVE Characteristics of schizophrenic patients admitted to state hospitals between 1970 and 1986 were studied to examine changes in the demographic profile of the patient population and in principal sources of payment for hospitalization over the study period. METHODS Information on patients' demographic characteristics and principal payment sources was obtained from a nationally representative data base compiled about every five years by the National Institute of Mental Health. RESULTS Among schizophrenic patients admitted between 1970 and 1986, the proportion of African-American males increased. By 1986 patients were less likely to pay for care through private insurance or their own resources. They were more likely to receive Medicare and to lack medical insurance. Medicare use increased largely among white patients, and medical indigency largely among African-American patients. CONCLUSIONS Changes in the characteristics of schizophrenic patients admitted to state hospitals between 1970 and 1986 may be related to changes in nosology, in the prevalence of schizophrenia, and in the types of patients likely to be admitted to state hospitals. The increase in the number of medically indigent patients accentuates the need for more adequate finding of state hospitals.
Biomechanical Mechanisms of Whiplash Injury

It is common knowledge that whiplash-associated disorders are soft-tissue-related. Rear-end crashes account for a majority of trauma. Specific objective diagnoses have eluded clinicians because of the soft tissue nature of the disorder. Sophisticated tools such as magnetic resonance images are inconclusive. The disorder is recognized in the Western world with significant societal impact and staggering economic costs. An increased level of awareness towards safety from the vehicle user coupled with the above factors and an interest by the automotive community to improve vehicle component designs have accelerated research in the area of whiplash-associated disorders from various perspectives. One of the main emphases has been to clearly delineate the mechanisms of the disorder. Consequently, the objective of this article is to describe the postulated mechanisms of injury and biomechanical studies attempting to prove the hypotheses. Results indicate that structures such as the facet joint are involved in chronic pain, and the kinematics of this joint are such that it undergoes characteristic motions during the early stages of rear impact acceleration. The presence of the transient nonphysiologic reverse curve, i.e., upper head-neck flexion is attributed to headaches, and the concomitant existence of lower cervical extension (particularly the inferior facet joints) during the early stages of rear impact acceleration are attributed to the mechanism of neck pain in whiplash. These studies have provided a fundamental basis for understanding the mechanism of the two most common complaints in whiplash, headache and neck pain.
Impact on Disease-Free Survival of Adjuvant Erlotinib or Gefitinib in Patients with Resected Lung Adenocarcinomas that Harbor EGFR Mutations

Background: Patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation derive clinical benefit from treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Whether treatment with TKI improves outcomes in patients with resected lung adenocarcinoma and EGFR mutation is unknown. Methods: Data were analyzed from a surgical database of patients with resected lung adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR exon 19 or 21 mutations. In a multivariate analysis, we evaluated the impact of treatment with adjuvant TKI. Results: The cohort consists of 167 patients with completely resected stages I to III lung adenocarcinoma. Ninety-three patients (56%) had exon 19 del, 74 patients (44%) had exon 21 mutations, and 56 patients (33%) received perioperative TKI. In a multivariate analysis controlling for sex, stage, type of surgery, and adjuvant platinum chemotherapy, the 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) was 89% for patients treated with adjuvant TKI compared with 72% in control group (hazard ratio = 0.53; 95% confidence interval: 0.28–1.03; p = 0.06). The 2-year overall survival was 96% with adjuvant EGFR TKI and 90% in the group that did not receive TKI (hazard ratio: 0.62; 95% confidence interval: 0.26–1.51; p = 0.296). Conclusions: Compared with patients who did not receive adjuvant TKI, we observed a trend toward improvement in DFS among individuals with resected stages I to III lung adenocarcinomas harboring mutations in EGFR exon 19 or 21 who received these agents as adjuvant therapy. Based on these data, 320 patients are needed for a randomized trial to prospectively validate this DFS benefit.
Effect of the Political Risk on Capital Asset Valuation in Financial Markets: The Case of Turkey

Recent political events and the subsequent movements in financial markets both in the developing and the developed countries raise the instincts regarding the interaction of political risks and financial markets and increase the importance of understanding the behavior of financial markets against political risks. Therefore the purpose of this study is to explain the impact of political risks on the returns of securities traded on capital markets in Turkey in the framework of Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). The relation between the monthly returns of 47 companies’ assets being traded on Borsa Istanbul and the political risks in Turkey between the years of 1997 and 2013 is examined in the study. Results of the analysis held by two-step regression method represent that there exists a positive and linear relation between beta and expected return. On the other hand, it is found that 4 out of 12 political risk factors, in other words internal conflict, external conflict, government stability and military in politics have a significant impact on expected return. Contrary to the other three risk factors, only the risk of government stability is found to be positively affecting asset returns.
Influencing sexual practices among HIV-positive Zambian women

Abstract This study assessed and compared the efficacy of culturally tailored behavioral interventions to increase use and acceptability of sexual barrier products among HIV-positive women in Zambia. It also sought to evaluate cultural preferences as facilitators or impediments to potential use of vaginal chemical barriers for sexual risk reduction within the Zambian context. Women (N=240), recruited from the University Teaching Hospital HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center, were randomized into group or individual intervention arms. Participants attended a baseline assessment, three intervention sessions and follow up assessments at six and 12 months. All participants increased use and acceptability of female condoms and vaginal products and maintained male condom use at six and 12 months. Preliminary data indicated that group participants increased male condom use at six months and trial use and acceptability of female condoms and lubricants predicted their use in the group condition. Results support group interventions to increase sexual barrier use and acceptability in HIV-positive women within the Zambian context. From a public health standpoint, groups may represent a cost-effective and culturally congruent intervention.
Traumatic Hyphema: Failure of Steroids to Alter Its Course: A Double-Blind Prospective Study

• Forty-three patients with traumatic hyphema were studied prospectively in a controlled, double-blind study. Twenty-three patients received prednisone and 20 received a lactose placebo. Secondary hemorrhages occurred in 16% of all patients. There was no significant difference in the incidence of secondary hemorrhage between the two groups ( P =.85). There is no evidence that prednisone (40 mg/day) decreases the incidence of secondary hemorrhage. There was no significant difference in final visual acuities between the two groups. Patients with initially larger hyphemas do not appear to have worse final visual acuities. Hyphemas without secondary hemorrhage had a uniformly good prognosis. Although final visual acuities were worse in eyes with secondary hemorrhage, associated ocular injuries rather than blood-related complications accounted for the decreased visual acuity.
A transmitter front-end design for 5GHz WLAN applications

Up-conversion mixer and driver amplifier for 802.11a wireless LAN application are designed and fabricated on 0.18 CMOS technology. The proposed up-conversion mixer adopts source degeneration transconductance stage to control the conversion gain, and driver amplifier uses cascode topology to control the gain and linearity. The fabricated up-mixer shows -6 /spl sim/ 10 dB of conversion gain and -18.5 dBm of OP/sub -1dB/ at 10 dB gain, and the driver amplifier shows -8 /spl sim/8 dB of power gain and 2 dBm of OP/sub -1dB/ at 6 dB gain. The up-mixer and the driver amplifier consume 12mA and 9mA from 1.8 V supply, respectively.
Elevated rates of transaminitis during ipilimumab therapy for metastatic melanoma

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer. Ipilimumab, a novel immunotherapy, is the first treatment shown to improve survival in patients with metastatic melanoma in large randomized controlled studies. The most concerning side effects reported in clinical studies of ipilimumab fall into the category of immune-related adverse events, which include enterocolitis, dermatitis, thyroiditis, hepatitis, hypophysitis, uveitis, and others. During the course of routine clinical care at Mount Sinai Medical Center, frequent hepatotoxicity was noted when ipilimumab was administered at a dose of 3 mg/kg according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. To better characterize these adverse events, we conducted a retrospective review of the first 11 patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab at the Mount Sinai Medical Center after FDA approval. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevation, as defined by the National Cancer Institute’s Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, each occurred in six of 11 cases (≥grade 1), a notably higher frequency than could be expected on the basis of the FDA licensing study where elevations were reported in 0.8 and 1.5% of patients for AST and ALT, respectively. Grade 3 elevations in AST occurred in three of 11 patients as compared with 0% in the licensing trial. All cases of transaminitis resolved when ipilimumab was temporarily withheld without administration of immunosuppressive medication. During routine clinical care of late-stage melanoma patients with ipilimumab, physicians should monitor patients closely for hepatotoxicity and be aware that toxicity rates may differ across populations during ipilimumab therapy.
Pediatric acquired CNS demyelinating syndromes

Approximately one-third of children with an acquired demyelinating syndrome (ADS) will be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), either at onset according to the 2010 McDonald criteria, or on the basis of clinical or MRI evidence of relapsing disease, in the majority of patients within 2–4 years. ADS in adolescents, female patients, and patients with polyfocal deficits is associated with the highest likelihood of MS, while children with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, those with documented preceding infection, and ADS presentation in young children more commonly portends a monophasic outcome. While pediatric MS associates with similar genetic risk alleles as have been documented in adult-onset MS, such associations are not diagnostically valuable at the individual level. The presence of antibodies directed against aquaporin-4 strongly supports a diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica, and should be assayed in children manifesting with severe optic neuritis, longitudinally extensive myelitis, or brainstem/hypothalamic syndromes. Further research will determine whether other antibody signatures are indicative of relapsing demyelination distinct from MS.
Clinical usefulness of serum 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase for early diagnosis of viral infections among febrile adult patients

Abstract Background This study aimed to evaluate the clinical usefulness of serum 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (2-5AS) levels in diagnosing viral infection. Methods 2-5AS, procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels and leukocyte counts were evaluated in 104 febrile patients (26 viral and 55 bacterial infections, 23 non-infectious diseases). Results Assessment of areas under the receiver-operator characteristic curves revealed that 2-5AS and CRP levels and the age of the patient differentiated between viral and bacterial infections, 2-5AS levels differentiated between viral infection and non-infectious disease and PCT levels differentiated between bacterial infection and non-infectious disease. The decision tree constructed according to the results correctly classified the origin of fever in 88 of 104 patients (85%). Conclusions 2-5AS is a useful diagnostic biomarker for viral infections and combining it with the PCT and CRP levels and leukocyte counts improves determination of causes of fever.
Compensation and Incentives in the Workplace

Labor is supplied because most of us must work to live. Indeed, it is called “work” in part because without compensation, the overwhelming majority of workers would not otherwise perform the tasks. The theme of this essay is that incentives affect behavior and that economics as a science has made good progress in specifying how compensation and its form influences worker effort. This is a broad topic, and the purpose here is not a comprehensive literature review on each of many topics. Instead, a sample of some of the most applicable papers are discussed with the goal of demonstrating that compensation, incentives, and productivity are inseparably linked.
Role of Hepatitis C virus genotype 3 in liver fibrosis progression – a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Summary. The progression of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C has long been considered to be independent from viral genotypes. However, recent studies suggest an association between Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 3 and accelerated liver disease progression. We completed a systematic review and meta‐analysis of studies evaluating the association between HCV genotypes and fibrosis progression. PubMed, Embase and ISI Web of Knowledge databases were searched for cohort, cross‐sectional and case–control studies on treatment‐naïve HCV‐infected adults in which liver fibrosis progression rate (FPR) was assessed by the ratio of fibrosis stage in one single biopsy to the duration of infection (single‐biopsy studies) or from the change in fibrosis stage between two biopsies (paired biopsies studies). A random effect model was used to derive FPR among different HCV genotypes. Eight single‐biopsy studies (3182 patients, mean/median duration of infection ranging from 9 to 21 years) and eight paired biopsies studies (mean interval between biopsies 2–12 years) met the selection criteria. The odds ratio for the association of genotype 3 with accelerated fibrosis progression was 1.52 (95% CI 1.12–2.07, P = 0.007) in single‐biopsy studies and 1.37 (95% CI 0.87–2.17, P = 0.17) in paired biopsy studies. In conclusion, viral genotype 3 was associated with faster fibrosis progression in single‐biopsy studies. This observation may have important consequences on the clinical management of genotype 3‐infected patients. The association was not significant in paired biopsies studies, although the latter may be limited by important indication bias, short observation time and small sample size.