Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A variant octamer motif in a Xenopus H2B histone gene promoter is not required for transcription in frog oocytes

Xenopus oocytes, arrested in G2 before the first meiotic division, accumulate histone mRNA and protein in the absence of chromosomal DNA replication and therefore represent an attractive biological system in which to examine histone gene expression uncoupled from the cell cycle. Previous studies have shown that sequences necessary for maximal levels of transcription in oocytes are present within 200 bp at the 5' end of the transcription initiation site for genes encoding each of the five major Xenopus histone classes. We have defined by site-directed mutagenesis individual regulatory sequences and characterized DNA-binding proteins required for histone H2B gene transcription in injected oocytes. The Xenopus H2B gene has a relatively simple promoter containing several transcriptional regulatory elements, including TFIID, CBP, and ATF/CREB binding sites, required for maximal transcription. A sequence (CTTTACAT) in the H2B promoter resembling the conserved octamer motif (ATTTGCAT), the target for cell-cycle regulation of a human H2B gene, is not required for transcription in oocytes. Nonetheless, substitution of a consensus octamer motif for the variant octamer element activates H2B transcription. Oocyte factors, presumably including the ubiquitous Oct-1 factor, specifically bind to the consensus octamer motif but not to the variant sequence. Our results demonstrate that a transcriptional regulatory element involved in lymphoid-specific expression of immunoglobulin genes and in S-phase-specific activation of mammalian H2B histone genes can activate transcription in nondividing amphibian oocytes.
Development of Benzophenone‐Based Farnesyltransferase Inhibitors as Novel Antimalarials

The development of farnesyltransferase inhibitors directed against Plasmodium falciparum is a strategy towards new drugs against malaria. Previously, we described benzophenone‐based farnesyltransferase inhibitors with high in vitro antimalarial activity but no in vivo activity. Through the introduction of a methylpiperazinyl moiety, farnesyltransferase inhibitors with in vivo antimalarial activity were obtained. Subsequently, a structure‐based design approach was chosen to further improve the antimalarial activity of this type of inhibitor. As no crystal structure of the farnesyltransferase of the target organism is available, homology modeling was used to reveal differences between the active sites of the rat/human and the P. falciparum farnesyltransferase. Based on flexible docking data, the piperazinyl moiety was replaced by a N,N,N′‐trimethylethylenediamine moiety. This resulted in an inhibitor with significantly improved in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity. Furthermore, this inhibitor displayed a notable increase in selectivity towards malaria parasites relative to human cells.
Isolation and characterization of novel microsatellite markers for Arctium minus (Compositae).

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Microsatellite primers were developed for the invasive plant Arctium minus to investigate the effects of facultative self-pollination and the biannual habit on population genetic structure, as well as the colonization of the Americas by this Eurasian species. • METHODS AND RESULTS Sixteen di- and trinucleotide microsatellite loci were identified in six populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from one to 10, observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.897, and the mean value of F(IS) was 0.316. • CONCLUSIONS These results indicate the utility of these loci in future studies of population genetics in A. minus.
A Simple Method for Clarifying Sentences with Coordination Ambiguities

We present a simple, broad coverage method for clarifying the meaning of sentences with coordination ambiguities, a frequent cause of parse errors. For each of the two most likely parses involving a coordination ambiguity, we produce a disambiguating paraphrase that splits the sentence in two, with one conjunct appearing in each half, so that the span of each conjunct becomes clearer. In a validation study, we show that the method enables meaning judgments to be crowd-sourced with good reliability, achieving 83% accuracy at 80% coverage.
Storytellers to the Nation: A History of American Television Writing

Filled with hundreds of anecdotes and quotes from in-depth interviews with more than 41 TV writers--including Norman Lear, Rod Serling, and Steve Bochco--this insider's history of American television writing tells of the writers' experiences working--and fighting--with the networks, sponsors, producers, stars, and censors, as they tried to create their shows.
Artificially sweetened beverages, sugar-sweetened beverages, plain water, and incident diabetes mellitus in postmenopausal women: the prospective Women's Health Initiative observational study.

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) have been associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus (DM), whereas the association with artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) is unclear.Objective: We aimed to evaluate the associations of ASB and SSB consumption with the risk of developing DM and the potential benefit of replacing SSBs with ASBs or water.Design: The national Women's Health Initiative recruited a large prospective cohort of postmenopausal women between 1993 and 1998. ASB, SSB, and water consumption was measured by lifestyle questionnaires, and DM was self-reported.Results: Of 64,850 women, 4675 developed diabetes over an average of 8.4 y of follow-up. ASBs and SSBs were both associated with an increased risk of DM with an HR of 1.21 (95% CI: 1.08, 1.36) comparing ASB consumption of ≥2 serving/d to never or <3 serving/mo, and an HR of 1.43 (95% CI: 1.17, 1.75) comparing SSB consumption of ≥2 serving/d to <1 serving/wk (1 serving = one 12-ounce can or 355 mL). Subgroup analysis found an increased risk of DM associated with ASBs only in the obese group. Modeling the substitution of SSBs with an equal amount of ASBs did not significantly reduce the risk of developing DM. However, statistically substituting 1 serving of ASBs with water was associated with a significant risk reduction of 5% (HR: 0.95; 95% CI: 0.91, 0.99), whereas substituting 1 serving of SSBs with water was associated with a risk reduction of 10% (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.95). Conclusions: ASBs were associated with a 21% increased risk of developing DM, approximately half the magnitude of SSBs (associated with a 43% increased risk). Replacing ASBs and SSBs with water could potentially reduce the risk. However, caution should be taken in interpreting these results as causal because both residual confounding and reverse causation could explain these results.
Co-morbidities of COPD in primary care: frequency, relation to COPD, and treatment consequences.

INTRODUCTION In the Western world, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is predominantly caused by long-term smoking, which results in pulmonary inflammation that is often associated with systemic inflammation. A number of co-morbid conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, muscle wasting, type 2 diabetes and asthma, may coexist with COPD; these and other co-morbidities not directly related to COPD are major causes of excess morbidity and mortality. AIM This review sets out to explore the most frequent co-morbidities in COPD and their implications for treatment. METHOD Review of the literature on co-morbidities of COPD. RESULTS Co-morbidities are frequent, but often remain undiagnosed in the COPD patient. In order to provide the best possible care for people with COPD, the physician should be aware of all potential co-morbidities that may arise, and the critical role that effective management of these co-morbidities can play in improving patient outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Increased awareness of the potential co-morbidities of COPD, although potentially adding to the general practitioner's work burden, may provide insights into this difficult disease state and possibly improve each individual's prospects for effective management.
FPGA implementation of marginalized particle filter for sensorless control of PMSM drives

Marginalized particle filter is a stochastic filter combining Kalman filters with particle filters. It decomposes the model into linear and nonlinear part and applies the Kalman filter for the former and the particle filter for the latter. In effect, this allows to represent accurately the inherent non-Gaussianity and nonlinearity of the model. This allows estimation of the rotor position of the PMSM drive in the full speed range, including the standstill. The main disadvantage is its high computational cost. In this paper, we present an implementation of the marginalized particle filter in the field programmable logic array (FPGA). The parallel nature of the MPF algorithm allows to use pipelining which yields speedup in the order of magnitude in comparison to the DSP implementation. The sensorless control of the drive is implemented on a board with both DSP and FPGA, where the drive control runs on the DSP and the MPF estimator in the FPGA. Execution time of the estimator is thus negligible in the execution time of the sensorless control. Performance of the resulting sensorless control algorithm is evaluated on a developed drive prototype of rated power of 10.7kW.
Microbial Community Profile of a Lead Service Line Removed from a Drinking Water Distribution System

ABSTRACT A corroded lead service line was removed from a drinking water distribution system, and the microbial community was profiled using 16S rRNA gene techniques. This is the first report of the characterization of a biofilm on the surface of a corroded lead drinking water service line. The majority of phylotypes have been linked to heavy-metal-contaminated environments.
Does Montelukast Reduce the Treatment Cost in Children with Moderately Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Montelukast use in atopic dermatitis has been evaluated in many clinical trials. It affects the clinical severity scores and some inflammatory markers. Aim of this study was to evaluate the drug-saving effect and analyze the cost of montelukast therapy on oral antihistamines and topical steroids in children with moderately severe atopic dermatitis. Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with washout period, conducted from May 2002 to February 2006. The study involved 25 patients, 2-16 years old with dermatitis. Patients received oral montelukast (9 patients, Group B) or placebo (16 patients, Group A) in phase 1, and were crossed over to placebo or montelukast, respectively, for phase 2. Patients included if >10% of skin was involved and failed response to 2 week conventional treatment. At each of 2-week clinic visits, the amount of medication used was measured and cost calculated for oral antihistamines, topical steroids, and oral antibiotics. During montelukast use, the amounts of oral histamines, or topical steroids, or oral antibiotic courses were not significantly different from their counterparts during placebo use. It did not reduce the medications cost. However, montelukast increased the direct medication cost by 138%. In children with moderately severe atopic dermatitis, montelukast does not have any drug-sparing effect on oral antihistamines or topical steroid amounts. It increased the direct treatment cost of this disease.
A Flow Analysis for Mining Traffic Anomalies

Although analyzing anomalous network traffic behavior is a popular research topic, few studies have been undertaken on the analysis of communication pattern per host based on their flows to characterize the anomalous Internet traffic. This paper discusses the possibility of using a flow-based communication pattern per host as a metric to identify anomalies. The key idea underlining our method is that scanning worm-infected hosts reveal the intrinsic characteristics of host's communication pattern and such patterns are distinguishable from those of other hosts. In particular, we found that scanning of worm-infected hosts that generated a lot of flows revealed the intrinsic communication pattern and the pattern could be classified from those of other hosts by k-means clustering. We also found that our flow-based metric could isolate the anomalies that have little influence upon the volumetric information of traffic and flow as "lines", which is remarkable in that the hosts that caused the hidden anomalies were mined out.
Effects of Cerulein on the Normal Pancreas and on Experimental Pancreatic Carcinoma in the Syrian Golden Hamster

The effects of cerulein on normal pancreas and on N-nitrobis (2-hydroxypropyl) amine (BHP)-induced experimental pancreatic carcinoma in Syrian golden hamsters were studied. Twenty hamsters received a subcutaneous injection of cerulein (20 μg/kg) twice daily for 10 days. The 10 control hamsters received normal saline (1 ml/kg). The results showed that when cerulein was injected subcutaneously for 10 days, pancreatic weight and amylase increased. DNA and the pancreatic weight/DNA ratio were also increased significantly in treated hamsters compared with controls (p <0.02 versus p <0.01). These results indicated that chronic cerulein injection had hypertrophic and hyperplastic effects. DNA synthesis, as measured by histoautoradiography of tritiated thymidine-labeled tissue, increased in pancreatic acinar cells (p <0.01) and increased slightly in islet cells and in ductal cells. Tritiated thymidine uptake in the pancreas of the treated group indicated a rather selective exocrine gland incorporation by acinar rather than ductal cells. Sixty hamsters received a subcutaneous injection of BHP (500 mg/kg) once a week, while 63 hamsters received BHP (500 mg/kg) plus cerulein (20 pg/kg). Twenty-seven hamsters received cerulein (20 μg/kg) alone. All animals were killed from 8 to 27 weeks later, and no cancer-bearing hamsters were observed during the eighth and ninth week following administration. From the 10th to 14th weeks after administration of BHP and cerulein, 87.9% (13 of 15) had tumors compared with 18.7% (3 of 16) after BHP alone (p <0.01). One of three and two of 13 tumors were adenoma. The earliest appearance of cancer, including carcinoma in situ and intraductal carcinoma, was at the 14th week after the administration of BHP alone and the 10th week after BHP and cerulein. During the 10th to the 14th weeks after administration of BHP and cerulein, cancer was found in 73.3%, which was statistically higher than after the administration of BHP alone (12.5%; p <0.01). All tumors were of exocrine origin in both groups. There were no special differences in histology, and no tumors were observed in cerulein-treated hamsters. This study has shown that cerutein stimulates pancreatic growth, especially acinar cell hyperplasia, and augments the carcinogenicity of N-nitrobis (2-hydroxypropyl) amine in the hamster pancreas.
Chemical Composition and Allelopathic, Antibacterial, Antifungal, and Antiacetylcholinesterase Activity of Fish‐mint (Houttuynia cordataThunb.) from India

Fish‐mint (Houttuynia cordataThunb.), belonging to family Saururaceae, has long been used as food and traditional herbal medicine. The present study was framed to assess the changes occurring in the essential‐oil composition of H. cordata during annual growth and to evaluate allelopathic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiacetylcholinesterase activities. The essential‐oil content ranged from 0.06 – 0.14% and 0.08 – 0.16% in aerial parts and underground stem, respectively. The essential oils were analysed by GC‐FID, GC/MS, and NMR (1H and 13C). Major constituents of aerial‐parts oil was 2‐undecanone (19.4 – 56.3%), myrcene (2.6 – 44.3%), ethyl decanoate (0.0 – 10.6%), ethyl dodecanoate (1.1 – 8.6%), 2‐tridecanone (0.5 – 8.3%), and decanal (1.1 – 6.9%). However, major constituents of underground‐stem oil were 2‐undecanone (29.5 – 42.3%), myrcene (14.4 – 20.8%), sabinene (6.0 – 11.1%), 2‐tridecanone (1.8 – 10.5%), β‐pinene (5.3 – 10.0%), and ethyl dodecanoate (0.8 – 7.3%). Cluster analysis revealed that essential‐oil composition varied substantially due to the plant parts and season of collection. The oils exhibited significant allelopathic (inhibition: 77.8 – 88.8%; LD50: 2.45 – 3.05 μl/plate), antibacterial (MIC: 0.52 – 2.08 μl/ml; MBC: bacteriostatic) and antifungal (MIC: 2.08 – 33.33 μl/ml; MFC: 4.16 – 33.33 μl/ml) activities. The results indicate that the essential oil from H. cordata has a significant potential to allow future exploration and exploitation as a natural antimicrobial and allelopathic agent.
QSAR Study of Artemisinin Analogues as Antimalarial Drugs by Neural Network and Replacement Method

Abstract Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) models were derived for 179 analogues of artemisinin, a potent antimalarial agent. Molecular descriptors derived solely from molecular structure were used to represent molecular structure. Utilizing replacement method, a subset of 11 descriptors was selected. General regression neural network (GRNN) was used to construct the nonlinear QSAR models in all stages of study. The relative standard error percent in antimalarial activity predictions for the training set by the application of cross-validation (RMSE-CV) was 0.43, and for test set (RMSEtest) was 0.51. GRNN analysis yielded predicted activities in the excellent agreement with the experimentally obtained values (R2training = 0.967 and R2test = 0.918). The mean absolute error for the test set was computed as 0.4115.
The personal software process: experiences from Denmark

The focus of the research and practice in software process improvement (SPI) is shifting from traditional large-scale assessment based improvement initiatives to smaller sized, tailored initiatives where the emphasis is on the development personnel and their personal abilities. Personal software process (PSP/sup SM/) is a method designed for improving the personal capabilities of the individual software engineer. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge within this area by reporting experiences from Denmark. The findings indicate an improvement in effort estimation skills and an increase in the resulting product quality in terms of reduced total defect density. The data shows that even with a relatively small effort (i.e., 10%) used in defect prevention activities (i.e., design and code reviews) almost one third of all defects could be removed and, consequently, the time required for the testing was reduced by 50%. On the basis of this data, the use of the PSP method in the software industry is discussed.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy provides neuroprotection following spinal cord injury in a rat model.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on the iNOS mRNA-iNOS-NO signaling pathway and neurofunction protected in a rat spinal cord injury model. METHODS A total of 36 Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (n=12), SCI group (n=12) and SCI + HBOT group (n=12). SCI + HBOT group In the SCI group and SCI + HBOT groups, SCI was performed on rats. In the SCI + HBOT group, rats with SCI underwent HBO treatment 30 min after SCI for 24 sessions. After HBO therapy, measurement of motor evoked potential (MEP), Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan (BBB) scoring and pathological examination were done. RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry were employed to detect the mRNA and protein expression of iNOS, respectively. Diazo colorimetry was performed to detect the serum NO content. RESULTS The mRNA and protein expression of iNOS in the spinal cord and the serum NO content were markedly increased in the SCI group as compared to the control group (P<0.05). However, the mRNA and protein expression of iNOS and the serum NO content were dramatically reduced in the SCI + HBOT group as compared to the SCI group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION HBO therapy can promote the neuroprotection following SCI, which may be related to the effect of HBO on the iNOS mRNA-iNOS-NO signaling pathway.
Aerobic Fitness Ecological Validity in Elite Soccer Players: A Metabolic Power Approach

Abstract Manzi, V, Impellizzeri, F, and Castagna, C. Aerobic fitness ecological validity in elite soccer players: a metabolic power approach. J Strength Cond Res 28(4): 914–919, 2014—The aim of this study was to examine the association between match metabolic power (MP) categories and aerobic fitness in elite-level male soccer players. Seventeen male professional soccer players were tested for V[Combining Dot Above]O2max, maximal aerobic speed (MAS), V[Combining Dot Above]O2 at ventilatory threshold (V[Combining Dot Above]O2VT and %V[Combining Dot Above]O2VT), and speed at a selected blood lactate concentration (4 mmol·L−1, VL4). Aerobic fitness tests were performed at the end of preseason and after 12 and 24 weeks during the championship. Aerobic fitness and MP variables were considered as mean of all seasonal testing and of 16 Championship home matches for all the calculations, respectively. Results showed that V[Combining Dot Above]O2max (from 0.55 to 0.68), MAS (from 0.52 to 0.72), V[Combining Dot Above]O2VT (from 0.72 to 0.83), %V[Combining Dot Above]O2maxVT (from 0.62 to 0.65), and VL4 (from 0.56 to 0.73) were significantly (p < 0.05 to 0.001) large to very large associated with MP variables. These results provide evidence to the ecological validity of aerobic fitness in male professional soccer. Strength and conditioning professionals should consider aerobic fitness in their training program when dealing with professional male soccer players. The MP method resulted an interesting approach for tracking external load in male professional soccer players.
Evaluating the potential effectiveness of using computerized information systems to prevent adverse drug events

In this study a dynamic computer simulation model is used to estimate the effectiveness of various information systems applications designed to detect and prevent medication errors that result in adverse drug events (ADEs). The model simulates the four stages of the drug ordering and delivery system: prescribing, transcribing, dispensing and administering drugs. In this study we simulated interventions that have been demonstrated in prior studies to decrease error rates. The results demonstrated that a computerized information system that detected 26% of medication errors and prevented associated ADEs could save 1,226 days of excess hospitalization and $1.4 million in hospital costs annually. Those results suggest that such systems are potentially a cost-effective means of preventing ADEs in hospitals. The results demonstrated the importance of viewing adverse drug events from a systems perspective. Prevention efforts that focus on a single stage of the process had limited impact on the overall error rate. This study suggests that system-wide changes to the drug-ordering and delivery system are required to significantly reduce adverse drug events in a hospital setting.