Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kinetic behavior of 25-hydroxyvitamin D-1-hydroxylase and -24-hydroxylase in rat kidney mitochondria.

Although 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD)-l-hydroxylase and -24-hydroxylase have been measured extensively in fowl, no methods for assay of these enzymes have been validated for the mammal. Inhibitory activity present in all mammalian tissues is a hindrance to accurate measurement The mechanism by which protein components from rat tissues reduce chick 25OHDS-1-hydroxylase activity were studied by an enzyme-kinetics approach, and data were analyzed using Eadie plots of enzyme activity (V) uersus V/substrate concentration. Inhibitory activity affecting chick l-hydroxylase was present in all tissues studied, including chick mitochondrial preparations themselves. This inhibition is thought to be due to binding of 25-OHD3 to nonenzymic sites. A method for quantitative and simultaneous assay of rat kidney mitochondrial 25-OHD3-1-hydroxylase and -24-hydroxylase activities was devised. Assay conditions include incubation at 25°C instead of the conventional 37”C, and the use of 500 nM 25-OHD3 to overcome inhibitory activity. V,,,,, of rat 25-OHD3-1-hydroxylase was of comparable magnitude to that of the chick enzyme under identical conditions, 2.9 and 5.5 pmol (mg x min)-‘, respectively. In rat mitochondria, mean K,,, was 890 11~ for 25-OHD3-1-hydroxylase and 375 no for -24-hydroxylase. It is hypothesized that the higher apparent K,,, of rat 1-hydroxylase is due to lack of an allosteric activation factor for this enzyme in the in vitro preparation.
The Calpain Small Subunit Gene Is Essential: Its Inactivation Results in Embryonic Lethality

Creation of transgenic (knockout) mice deficient in calpain small (30 kDa) subunit gene was undertaken to clarify the proposed role of the small subunit for calpain proteolytic activity and to gain insight into the importance of the gene in the whole animal. The gene was targeted and disrupted in embryonic stem cells by homologous recombination, and chimeric mice were generated. Heterozygous F1 generation mice were crossed to obtain F2 generation. Among F2 generation mice, we found only wild‐type and heterozygous animals in the 80 pups genotyped to date; no homozygous mice have been found, although 20 were expected. The heterozygotes had no apparent phenotypic abnormalities. Analysis of their tissues revealed no significant difference in mRNA expression, protein content, or proteolytic activity in comparison with their wild‐type littermates. Genotyping of fetuses at different stages of development also revealed only wild‐type and normal heterozygous fetuses. No moribund embryos or resorption sites were observed in the uterine cavity. The results indicate that at least one normal allele is essential for postnatal survival. Disruption of both alleles appears to be lethal in very early fetal development.
The needs and problems of older people with a visual impairment: historical, current and future perspectives

Of the approximate one million people who are registrable as blind or partially sighted nine out of ten are over the age of 60. One in seven of all older people over the age of 75 are registrable as blind or partially sighted. The vast majority will not be totally blind but will have some degree of residual vision. In the first of a series of articles highlighting the needs, difficulties and problems faced by older visually impaired people, Mark Davis, Community Care Officer - Older People, RNIB Social Services Development Unit, reviews the status of older visually impaired people through a series of official reports and outlines the problems they still face.
Cyber-Mothers: Online Synchronous Interviewing using Conferencing Software

The potential of the Internet as a valuable methodological tool for social science research is increasingly being recognised. This paper contributes to the debate surrounding virtual synchronous interviews and the value of online research. Specifically it introduces the use of a software conferencing technique - Hotline Connect - and discusses the implications of using the technique for Internet- based research. In particular issues of interview design, developing rapport, the role of insiders and outsiders in the research process, language use and the virtual interface are considered. The paper draws on the experience of a recent research project entitled ‘Cyberparents’ and concludes that the use of conferencing software holds great potential for synchronous online interviewing. However, this must be combined with sensitive, ethical handling of both the research process and the data to overcome both the weaknesses of this particular method and those inherent in any interviewing situation.
QoE Management made uneasy: The case of Cloud Gaming

In this paper we discuss challenges and requirements for QoE Management in future networks using Cloud Gaming as representative paradigm for upcoming services. In particular, we highlight inherent difficulties for QoE Management such as an extreme variation in terms of QoE sensitivity and resource requirements within a single application category. In this context, motivated by contradicting results in related Cloud Gaming QoE work, we analyze the relationships between delay, latency detection and QoE and discuss possible influences on user delay-sensitivity. We also present the results of a laboratory cloud gaming QoE study showing that even small additional delays can have a visible QoE impact while on the other hand users can be surprisingly tolerant to higher delays. Indeed, the observed QoE sensitivity strongly depends on which game is actually used, representing a typical characteristic of cloud gaming and a key challenge for QoE Management. Based on our results, we discuss how QoE Management needs to take the identified diversity of user- and application-related factors into account, reaching far beyond just satisfying static network QoS demands. Using the exemplary case of latency management, we argue that QoE Management for emerging services like Cloud Gaming requires a holistic end-to-end approach as well as a structured information exchange between applications and networks, both essential features of Future Internet infrastructures.
Characterization of Right Ventricular Remodeling in Pulmonary Hypertension Associated With Patient Outcomes by 3-Dimensional Wall Motion Tracking Echocardiography

Background—Adverse right ventricular (RV) remodeling has significant prognostic and therapeutic implications to patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, differentiating RV adaption from adverse remodeling associated with poor outcomes is difficult. We hypothesized that novel 3-dimensional (3D) wall motion tracking echocardiography can differentiate morphological features of RV adaption from adverse remodeling heralding an unfavorable short-term prognosis in patients with PH. Methods and Results—We studied 112 subjects: 92 patients with PH and 20 normal controls with 3D wall motion tracking for RV end-systolic volume index (ESVi), RV ejection fraction (EF), and RV global area strain. Patients with PH also had invasive hemodynamic measurements. Pressure–volume relations classified patients with PH into 3 groups, such as RV adapted, RV adapted–remodeled, and RV adverse–remodeled. The predefined combined end point was PH-related hospitalization, death, or lung surgery (lung transplantation or pulmonary endarterectomy) during 6 months. The 92 patients with PH had significantly larger RV volumes, lower RVEF and global area strain than normal controls as expected. Patients with PH classified as RV adapted (ESVi, ⩽72 mL/m2) had a more favorable clinical outcome than those classified as RV adapted–remodeled (ESVi, 73–113 mL/m2) or RV adverse–remodeled (ESVi, ≥114 mL/m2): hazard ratio, 0.15; 95% confidence intervals, 0.07 to 0.39; P<0.0001. RV adverse–remodeled patients (ESVi, ≥114 mL/m2) had worse short-term outcome than the RV adapted–remodeled patients: hazard ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 0.91 to 5.39; P=0.04. Conclusions—Quantitative 3D echocardiography in patients with PH demonstrated morphological subsets of RV adaption and remodeling associated with clinical outcomes.
Early Lymphocyte Recovery as a Prognostic Indicator for High-risk Ewing Sarcoma

Background Increasing evidence suggests that lymphocyte recovery plays a major part in tumor control. Facilitating immune reconstitution might be a novel direction of cancer therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine if early lymphocyte recovery is an independent prognostic indicator for high-risk Ewing sarcoma outcome. Results Data of 24 Ewing sarcoma patients were analyzed (age, 3 to 50 y; median, 16.5; male to female, 16:8). The 5-year overall survival (OS) of the total population was 47.9% [10.6 standard error (SE)]. Patients were separated into 2 groups: prolonged lymphopenia versus early lymphocyte recovery, using a threshold absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) of ≥500 cells/μL on day 15. The majority (67%; n=16) of the patients had an ALC ≥500 cells/μL, and of these 10/16 are alive with a 5-year OS of 58.7% (13.2 SE). In contrast, 33% (n=8) of patients had an ALC <500 cells/μL on day 15 and only 2/8 are alive with a 5-year OS of 25% (15.3 SE). This difference was significant (P=0.007 using the log rank test). When comparing patients with metastatic disease, patients with an ALC-15 <500 cells/μL had a median survival of 13 months, whereas patients with an ALC-15 ≥500 cells/μL had a median survival of 29.5 months. All patients had an ALC before chemotherapy of >1000 cells/μL. The difference was significant (P value=0.001 using the log rank test). Univariate analysis of platelet counts, age, sex, and absolute neutrophil count showed no statistically significant association with OS. Conclusions The data demonstrate that an ALC ≥500 cells/μL on day 15 of the first course of chemotherapy is an independent prognostic factor associated with superior OS in high-risk Ewing sarcoma.
Characterization of user networks in Facebook

Network service providers have been faced with some technical challenges that are presented by Facebook and other online social networking technologies. Therefore, it is better to know more about characteristics of these networks. There are several interesting topics worthy of conducting research in Facebook. One of the research directions is analyzing user networks in Facebook. The other research direction is analyzing fan networks of Facebook web pages. We have pursued both research directions in this paper. In this paper, we observed that the user network degree distribution in Facebook follows a lognormal distribution. This paper also presents that the distribution of increase in the number of fans of the web pages follows the Weilbull distribution.
Facet Fusion in the Lumbosacral Spine: A 2-year Follow-up Study

OBJECTIVE A clinical and radiological follow-up study was undertaken to assess the safety, efficacy, and complication rate associated with instrumented facet fusion of the lumbar and lumbosacral spine. METHODS This study involved 99 patients with degenerative lumbar disorders who were treated surgically at the authors’ neurosurgical department and followed for more than 2 years. Eighty-two patients underwent one-level fusion for the treatment of Grade I or II degenerative spondylolisthesis and accompanying spinal canal stenosis (44 patients) or recurrent disc herniation (38 patients). Seventeen patients underwent two-level fusion for the treatment of either double instances of the above indications (seven patients) or concurrent stenosis at the adjacent level (10 patients). RESULTS There were no technique-related complications. The overall 2-year success rate of fusion was 96%; the success rates by fusion type were 99% in one-level fusions and 88% in two-level fusions. Degenerative spondylolisthesis had the highest success rate at 100%, whereas the success rate in patients who had not responded to previous discectomy was 93%. Patients with concurrent stenosis experienced the lowest success rate: 80%. Excellent or good clinical results were obtained for 85% of patients with one-level fusions and for 65% of patients with two-level fusions. CONCLUSION Instrumented facet fusion alone is a simple, safe, and effective surgical option for the treatment of patients with single-level disorders, especially patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis.
Rapid Diagnosis of Drug Resistance to Fluoroquinolones, Amikacin, Capreomycin, Kanamycin and Ethambutol Using Genotype MTBDRsl Assay: A Meta-Analysis

Background There are urgent needs for rapid and accurate drug susceptibility testing of M. tuberculosis. GenoType MTBDRsl is a new molecular kit designed for rapid identification of the resistance to the second-line antituberculosis drugs with a single strip. In recent years, it has been evaluated in many settings, but with varied results. The aim of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the latest data on the diagnostic accuracy of GenoType MTBDRsl in detecting drug resistance to fluoroquinolones, amikacin, capreomycin, kanamycin and ethambutol, in comparison with the phenotypic drug susceptibility test. Methods This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. The search terms of “MTBDRsl” and “tuberculosis” were used on PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science. QUADAS-2 was used to assess the quality of included studies. Data were analyzed by Meta-Disc 1.4. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio (PLR), negative likelihood ratio (NLR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for each study. From these calculations, forest plots and summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were produced. Results Patient selection bias as well as flow and timing bias were observed in most studies. The summarized sensitivity (95% CI) was 0.874(0.845–0.899), 0.826(0.777–0.869), 0.820(0.772–0.862), 0.444(0.396–0.492), and 0.679(0.652–0.706) for fluoroquinolones, amikacin, capreomycin, kanamycin, and ethambutol, respectively. The specificity (95% CI) was 0.971(0.961–0.980), 0.995(0.987–0.998), 0.973(0.963–0.981), 0.993(0.985–0.997), and 0.799(0.773–0.823), respectively. The AUC (standard error) were 0.9754(0.0203), 0.9300(0.0598), 0.9885(0.0038), 0.9689(0.0359), and 0.6846(0.0550), respectively. Conclusion Genotype MTBDRsl showed good accuracy for detecting drug resistance to fluoroquinolones, amikacin and capreomycin, but it may not be an appropriate choice for kanamycin and ethambutol. The lack of data did not allow for proper evaluation of the test on clinical specimens. Further systematic assessment of diagnostic performance should be carried out on direct clinical samples.
Quality of life in old age: An investigation of well older persons in Hong Kong

What might add quality to life during the last period of the life cycle? In study I, five focus groups of elderly participants representing different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds provided descriptions of quality of life (QOL) from their own perspectives. These descriptions formed the basis of a questionnaire that was administered to a representative, random sample of older persons in Hong Kong (N = 1,616) in study II. The study II sample was further randomly split into two. Exploratory factor analysis on sample A identified four factors: generativity, interpersonal (including intergenerational) relations, physical functioning, and material life. Results of confirmatory factor analysis on sample B showed that the 4-factor QOL model provided a good fit to the data, and that the constructs measured were identical (invariant) between older men and women and between the young-old and the old-old. In study III, the findings were disseminated back to an independent sample of older persons meeting in focus groups, who provided verbal confirmations to the model. The findings shed light on possible community psychology interventions to promote wellness in the elderly. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 32: 309–326, 2004.
Carrying digital WaterMarking for Medical Imagesusing Mobile Devices

In medical facilities, mobile devices provide the medium for remote diagnosis and information retrieval. Mobile devices aid medical personnel by allowing them to access information ubiquitously. The medical doctor or radiologist may use his mobile device to view patient’s medical images. But security and privacy is the major issue for such type of remote diagnosis. The existing system does not support remote diagnosis over mobile communication network. Therefore, in the proposed system remote diagnosis is supported, where a doctor can verify the medical images in his mobile device, though he is far away from the patient. This Telemedicine application requires authentication for safe transmission. The Region of Interest (ROI) is the crucial part for accurate diagnosis and should not be disturbed. To overcome this problem, image segmentation is applied to select only the required portion of medical image and Digital Watermarking using Discrete Cosine Transform is applied to the medical images in the portions of Region of Non Interest (RONI). The mobile devices cannot store large image files and transmission requires more bandwidth. So compression is applied on the image that is to be transmitted.
Cold chain logistics system based on cloud computing

All information technology (IT) resources that cloud computing provide can be seen as services. As a new IT implementation, cloud computing now has a profound impact on technological change. Cloud computing can provide critical software for business management, reducing IT and maintenance costs for hardware and software effectively. It can also enable small and medium enterprises to have access to professional IT solutions with less IT investment. The cold chain logistics system based on cloud computing can be used to connect the database between cold chain logistics and external customers, so that each database connection terminal can keep track of and update the data. A cold chain logistics system based on cloud computing is designed in this paper. This system consists of six functional parts: (1) data collection; (2) data calculation; (3) data updating and transmission; (4) configuration management; (5) control strategy; and (6) business development. It brings better cooperation between cold chain logistics and their customers, realizes co‐control of product sales information, accelerates the speed of cold chain logistics and maximizes the interests of all parties. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Role for Gr-1+ Cells in the Control of High-Dose Mycobacterium bovis Recombinant BCG

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is an attractive target for development as a live vaccine vector delivering transgenic antigens from HIV and other pathogens. Most studies aimed at defining the clearance of BCG have been performed at doses between 102 and 104 CFU. Interestingly, however, recombinant BCG (rBCG) administered at doses of >106 CFU effectively generates antigen-specific T-cell responses and primes for heterologous boost responses. Thus, defining clearance at high doses might aid in the optimization of rBCG as a vector. In this study, we used bioluminescence imaging to examine the kinetics of rBCG transgene expression and clearance in mice immunized with 5 × 107 CFU rBCG expressing luciferase. Similar to studies using low-dose rBCG, our results demonstrate that the adaptive immune response is necessary for long-term control of rBCG beginning 9 days after immunizing mice. However, in contrast to these reports, we observed that the majority of mycobacterial antigen was eliminated prior to day 9. By examining knockout and antibody-mediated depletion mouse models, we demonstrate that the rapid clearance of rBCG occurs in the first 24 h and is mediated by Gr-1+ cells. As Gr-1+ granulocytes have been described as having no impact on BCG clearance at low doses, our results reveal an unappreciated role for Gr-1+ neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes in the clearance of high-dose rBCG. This work demonstrates the potential of applying bioluminescence imaging to rBCG in order to gain an understanding of the immune response and increase the efficacy of rBCG as a vaccine vector.
Ceruloplasmin Regulates Iron Levels in the CNS and Prevents Free Radical Injury

Ceruloplasmin is a ferroxidase that oxidizes toxic ferrous iron to its nontoxic ferric form. We have previously reported that a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored form of ceruloplasmin is expressed in the mammalian CNS. To better understand the role of ceruloplasmin in iron homeostasis in the CNS, we generated a ceruloplasmin gene-deficient (Cp−/−) mouse. AdultCp−/− mice showed increased iron deposition in several regions of the CNS such as the cerebellum and brainstem. Increased lipid peroxidation was also seen in some CNS regions. Cerebellar cells from neonatalCp−/− mice were also more susceptible to oxidative stress in vitro.Cp−/− mice showed deficits in motor coordination that were associated with a loss of brainstem dopaminergic neurons. These results indicate that ceruloplasmin plays an important role in maintaining iron homeostasis in the CNS and in protecting the CNS from iron-mediated free radical injury. Therefore, the antioxidant effects of ceruloplasmin could have important implications for various neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease in which iron deposition is known to occur.
Alginate oligosaccharide alleviates myocardial reperfusion injury by inhibiting nitrative and oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis

Alginate oligosaccharide (AOS) has recently demonstrated the ability to protect against acute doxorubicin cardiotoxicity and neurodegenerative disorders by inhibiting oxidative stress and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-mediated apoptosis, which are both involved in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. In the present study, we investigated whether pretreatment with AOS protects against myocardial I/R injury in mice and explored potential cardioprotective mechanisms. AOS pretreatment significantly decreased the infarct size, reduced the cardiac troponin-I concentration, and ameliorated the cardiac dysfunction. Accompanied with the reduced cardiac injury, AOS pretreatment clearly decreased I/R-induced myocardial apoptosis. With regard to mechanism, AOS pretreatment markedly attenuated nitrative/oxidative stress, as evidenced by decreases in 3-nitrotyrosine content and superoxide generation, and downregulated inducible nitric oxide synthase, NADPH oxidase2, and 4-hydroxynonenal. Moreover, AOS pretreatment decreased myocardial apoptosis by inhibiting the ER stress-mediated apoptosis pathway, which is reflected by the downregulation of C/EBP homologous protein, glucose-regulated protein 78, caspase-12, and Bcl-2-associated X protein, and by the upregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma-2. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AOS renders the heart resistant to I/R injury, at least in part, by inhibiting nitrative/oxidative stress and ER stress-mediated apoptosis.
The Relationship between Lexical Competence, Collocational Competence, and Second Language Proficiency

This paper assesses the relationship between EFL proficiency, lexical competence, and collocational competence (cf. Meara 1996; Pawley & Syder 1983; Read 1993, 1997, 2000; Bonk 2001). Two paper-based tests, a proficiency test and a vocabulary test, were presented to English majors at the University of Burundi. Scores on both tests significantly correlate and distinguish between levels. This confirms that lexical competence is a reliable predictor of L2 proficiency, which strengthens and extends earlier findings (Meara 1996; Bonk 2001; Gyllstad 2005, 2007; Zareva et al. 2005). Furthermore, mastery of collocations is found to be related to frequency and to predict lexical competence. Thus, the findings of this study underline earlier indications that proficiency testing may be simplified.