Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rabeprazole, 20 mg once daily or 10 mg twice daily, is equivalent to omeprazole, 20 mg once daily, in the healing of erosive gastrooesophageal reflux disease.

BACKGROUND Proton pump inhibitors are the most potent pharmacologic inhibitors of gastric acid secretion currently available, and have proven effective in the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The object of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of a new proton pump inhibitor, rabeprazole at two different dosages, with that of omeprazole in the healing of erosive GERD. METHODS Rabeprazole 20 mg once daily (QD) and 10 mg twice daily (BID) were compared with omeprazole 20 mg QD in a double-blind, multicentre, parallel group study involving 310 patients with erosive GERD. The primary efficacy endpoint was oesophageal mucosal healing determined by endoscopy. Secondary endpoints included reduction in symptoms and improvements in quality-of-life scores. RESULTS The healing rates between both rabeprazole groups and the omeprazole group were equivalent in both the per-protocol and intent-to-treat populations. In the per-protocol population, rabeprazole 20 mg was noted to have a numerical trend toward more rapid daytime heartburn relief. However, by 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, no significant differences were found between groups for secondary endpoints, adverse events, or laboratory abnormalities including elevation of serum gastrin levels. CONCLUSIONS Rabeprazole 20 mg in two different dosing schedules is as effective as omeprazole 20 mg QD with regard to efficacy and tolerability in patients with erosive GERD.
Synergetic Combination of LIMD With CHPD for the Production of Economical and High Performance $\hbox{MgB}_{2}$ Wires

We propose an economical fabrication concept, the localized internal magnesium diffusion (IMD) method. Instead of using a single magnesium (Mg) rod in the center of a metal sheath tube, we use large-sized Mg particles (20-50 mesh) mixed well with cheap 97% crystalline boron powder to fill the metal sheath tube. After a repeated drawing process, the coarse Mg is elongated along the core wire axis of the metal sheath tube. Textured MgB2 grains are then formed during the sintering process. In the localized IMD process, however, there is still a need to improve the overall density. In order to increase the density of the composite, a modified cold high pressure densification (CHPD) technique has been applied before the reaction. It is found that the critical current density (Jc) of the sample made from large-sized Mg with crystalline boron powder and treated by CHPD is increased significantly, so that it is quite comparable with the Jc values of samples made from expensive small magnesium and nanosized amorphous boron powder. At 4.2 K and 8 T, the Jc value of the wire in this work with the cheapest starting materials reaches 10 000 A/cm2 , which is similar to reported values for samples made by the powder-in-tube and IMD processes with expensive nanosized amorphous boron powder. A possible mechanism is proposed, and the microstructure is analyzed to explain this interesting feature. The main goal of this work is to develop a novel and cost-effective fabrication technique by combining the localized IMD process with CHPD and using cheap crystalline boron powder to manufacture MgB2 superconductor wires with electromagnetic performance superior to that of low-temperature Nb-Ti superconductors.
Dihydropyridine receptors actively control gating of ryanodine receptors in resting mouse skeletal muscle fibres

• Depolarization of the skeletal muscle membrane elicits a change in the configuration of dihydropyridine receptors that in turn triggers sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release through ryanodine receptors. • At rest, it is assumed, but never demonstrated in adult muscle fibres, that dihydropyridine receptors exert a repressive action on ryanodine receptors that keeps them in a closed state. • By measuring Ca2+ changes in the SR in voltage‐clamp conditions, we report that any interventions designed to alter the conformation of dihydropyridine receptors at rest induce an SR Ca2+ efflux. • These results show that dihydropyridine receptors maintain a strict control upon ryanodine receptors in resting skeletal mouse muscle fibres.
Comparative Analysis of Technical Efficiency for Islamic versus Conventional Banks and its Determinants in Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to analyze the technical efficiency of Islamic banks and conventional banks by using Data Envelopment Test (DEA) and further we used TOBIT analysis to identify the determinants of efficiency in banking industry. Twenty banks have been selected from the banking industry, from which ten banks are Islamic banks or banks which have Islamic branches and ten banks are conventional banks. Panel data is used for the period 2007-2015. Overall it is concluded that conventional banks are more technical efficient than Islamic banks. Hence the censored TOBIT regression indicates that the ownership, liquidity, bank size and capital adequacy ratio are the main determinants of overall technical efficiency for the banks and due to bank classification conventional banks have more technical efficiency.
A programming model and framework for comprehensive dynamic analysis on Android

The multi-process architecture of Android applications combined with the lack of suitable APIs make dynamic program analysis (DPA) on Android challenging and unduly difficult. Existing analysis tools and frameworks are tailored mainly to the needs of security-related analyses and are not flexible enough to support the development of generic DPA tools. In this paper we present a framework that, besides providing the fundamental support for the development of DPA tools for Android, enables development of cross-platform analyses that can be applied to applications targeting the Android and Java platforms. The framework provides a convenient high-level programming model, flexible instrumentation support, and strong isolation of the base program from the analysis. To boost developer productivity, the framework retains Java as the main development language, while seamless integration with the platform overcomes the recurring obstacles hindering development of DPA tools for Android. We evaluate the framework on two diverse case studies, demonstrating key concepts, the flexibility of the framework, and analysis portability.
ICln Ion Channel Splice Variants in Caenorhabditis elegans

ICln is an ion channel identified by expression cloning using a cDNA library from Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. In all organisms tested so far, only one transcript for the ICln protein could be identified. Here we show that two splice variants of the ICln ion channel can be found in Caenorhabditis elegans. Moreover, we show that these two splice variants of the ICln channel protein, which we termed IClnN1 and IClnN2, can be functionally reconstituted and tested in an artificial lipid bilayer. In these experiments, the IClnN1-induced currents showed no voltage-dependent inactivation, whereas the IClnN2-induced currents fully inactivated at positive potentials. The molecular entity responsible for the voltage-dependent inactivation of IClnN2 is a cluster of positively charged amino acids encoded by exon 2a, which is absent in IClnN1. Our experiments suggest a mechanism of channel inactivation that is similar to the “ball and chain” model proposed for the Shaker potassium channel,i.e. a cluster of positively charged amino acids hinders ion permeation through the channel by a molecular and voltage-dependent interaction at the inner vestibulum of the pore. This hypothesis is supported by the finding that synthetic peptides with the same amino acid sequence as the positive cluster can transform the IClnN1-induced current to the current observed after reconstitution of IClnN2. Furthermore, we show that the nematode ICln gene is embedded in an operon harboring two additional genes, which we termed Nx and Ny. Co-reconstitution of Nx and IClnN2 and functional analysis of the related currents revealed a functional interaction between the two proteins, as evidenced by the fact that the IClnN2-induced current in the presence of Nx was no longer voltage-sensitive. The experiments described indicate that the genome organization in nematodes allows an effective approach for the identification of functional partner proteins of ion channels.
[Bifocal photography using the HRA -- an optimized method to evaluate tIOL's axial orientation].

BACKGROUND The assessment of axial orientation of toric IOLs (tIOLs) by monofocal photography can be deteriorated due to intrinsic errors e. g. globe rotation, head inclination or inadequate camera adaption and slide projection. METHOD In a 67 years old female a tIOL was implanted after penetrating keratoplasty for correction of high corneal astigmatism. A sequence of two fundus and two tIOL photographs (bifocal photography) was taken in a time interval of 3 months using the HRA II (Heidelberg Retina Angiograph II). A reference at the fundus was defined using two characteristic markers. The axial fundus orientation between the markers was overlaid to the line defined by the tIOL axis markers. The angular offset/distance between the fundus orientation line and the tIOL marker line was analyzed for each bifocal image at different time points. RESULTS The comparison of axial tIOL orientation between both different tIOL images revealed a rotation angle of 13 degrees (monofocal photograph). In contrast, using the bifocal photography and digital overlay technique the fundus line as a reference the tIOL rotated 1 degrees and 4 degrees from the first to the second time point of photography. Thus, the real rotation angle of tIOL measured only 3 degrees. CONCLUSION The bifocal photography with constant head position has the potential to minimize the intrinsic error in documentation of axial orientation of tIOL.
Virtual view synthesis without preprocessing depth image for depth image based rendering

Virtual view synthesis has been considered as a crucial technique in three-dimensional television (3DTV) display, where depth-image-based rendering (DIBR) is a key technology. In order to improve the virtual image quality, a method without preprocessing the depth image is proposed. During the synthesis, the hole-flag map is fully utilized. A Horizontal, Vertical and Diagonal Extrapolation (HVDE) using depth information algorithm is also proposed for filling the tiny cracks. After blending, main virtual view image is obtained. Then the image generated by filtering the depth image is regarded as assistant image to fill small holes in the main image. Experimental results show that the proposed method can obtain better performance in both subjective quality and objective evaluation.
Doppler walk rectification based on KWT in passive radar

Doppler walk is introduced by high speed motion of targets in passive radar, which decreases the signal-to-noise ratio. In this paper, a Doppler walk rectification method based on keystone-Wigner-Ville transform (KWT) is proposed, and the interference, weights and noise impact are analyzed. No prior information and parameters searching are unnecessary.
The Last Mile Problem: Activists, Advocates, and the Struggle for Justice in Domestic Courts

The ability of a state to protect its own citizens’ lives is a key part of democratic legitimacy. While the right to physical integrity is nearly universal, holding those who violate this right legally accountable has proved difficult. I argue that the dynamics between civil society groups and government officials can activate investigatory processes plagued by bureaucratic inertia. I develop two analytical categories of civil society actors: Activists impose a political cost to impunity and challenge victim-blaming narratives, whereas advocates facilitate the flow of investigative information between state officials and family members of victims. Drawing from original statistical, ethnographic, and interview evidence, I find that a synergistic political dynamic between activists and advocates can emerge in which political pressure is mounted by activists and channeled into investigatory advances by advocates. While local groups usually anchor these activist–advocate dynamics, international actors may play definitive roles in disrupting tenacious patterns of impunity.
Byte-Level Machine Reading Across Morphologically Varied Languages

The machine reading task, where a computer reads a document and answers questions about it, is important in artificial intelligence research. Recently, many models have been proposed to address it. Word-level models, which have words as units of input and output, have proven to yield state-of-the-art results when evaluated on English datasets. However, in morphologically richer languages, many more unique words exist than in English due to highly productive prefix and suffix mechanisms. This may set back word-level models, since vocabulary sizes too big to allow for efficient computing may have to be employed. Multiple alternative input granularities have been proposed to avoid large input vocabularies, such as morphemes, character n-grams, and bytes. Bytes are advantageous as they provide a universal encoding format across languages, and allow for a small vocabulary size, which, moreover, is identical for every input language. In this work, we investigate whether bytes are suitable as input units across morphologically varied languages. To test this, we introduce two large-scale machine reading datasets in morphologically rich languages, Turkish and Russian. We implement 4 byte-level models, representing the major types of machine reading models and introduce a new seq2seq variant, called encoder-transformer-decoder. We show that, for all languages considered, there are models reading bytes outperforming the current state-of-the-art word-level baseline. Moreover, the newly introduced encoder-transformer-decoder performs best on the morphologically most involved dataset, Turkish. The large-scale Turkish and Russian machine reading datasets are released to public.
Rapid Polymerase Chain Reaction Screening of Helicobacter pylori Chromosomal Point Mutations

Microdiversity (within individual genes) in the genomes of different Helicobacter pylori strains has been demonstrated to be more frequent than that seen in other prokaryotes. Point mutations in some genes, such as the vacA and 23S ribosomal RNA genes could result in the alteration of pathogenicity or antibiotic susceptibility of individual H. pylori strains. Development of a simple, rapid, and reliable screening method would be useful in the molecular characterization of genetic variation among different H. pylori strains.
Inter-domain crosstalk in the phytochrome molecules.

Phytochromes are bifunctional photoreceptors with a two-domain structure, consisting of the N-terminal photosensory domain and the C-terminal regulatory domain. The photo-induced Pr <--> Pfr phototransformation accompanies subtle conformational changes, primarily triggered by the apoprotein-chromophore interactions in the N-terminal domain. The conformational signals are subsequently transmitted to the C-terminal domain through various inter-domain crosstalks, resulting in the interaction of the activated C-terminal domain with phytochrome interacting factors. Thus the inter-domain crosstalks play critical roles in the photoactivation of the phytochromes. Protein phosphorylation, such as that of Ser-598, is implicated in this process by inducing conformational changes and by modulating inter-domain signaling.
Differential transcription patterns in wild-type and glycoprotein G-deleted infectious laryngotracheitis viruses

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) causes severe respiratory disease in poultry throughout the world. Recently the role of glycoprotein G (gG) in ILTV pathogenesis has been investigated and it has been shown to have chemokine-binding activity. An ILTV vaccine candidate deficient in gG has been developed and the deletion has been shown to alter the host's immune response to the virus. To understand the effect of the gG gene on transcription of other viral genes, the global expression profile of 72 ILTV genes in gG-deleted and wild-type ILTVs were investigated both in vivo and in vitro using quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Several genes were differentially expressed in the different viruses in LMH cell cultures or in the tracheas of infected birds, and the expression of a number of genes, including ICP27, gC, gJ, Ul7 and UL40, differed significantly both in vivo and in vitro, suggesting that they had direct or indirect roles in virulence. This study has provided insights into the interactions between gG and other ILTV genes that may have a role in virulence.
Determining and visualizing flexibility in protein structures

How to compare the structures of an ensemble of protein conformations is a fundamental problem in structural biology. As has been previously observed, the widely used RMSD measure due to Kabsch, in which a rigid‐body superposition minimizing the least‐squares positional deviations is performed, has its drawbacks when comparing and visualizing a set of flexible protein structures. Here, we develop a method, fleximatch, of protein structure comparison that takes flexibility into account. Based on a distance matrix measure of flexibility, a weighted superposition of distance matrices rather than of atomic coordinates is performed. Subsequently, this allows a consistent determination of (a) a superposition of structures for visualization, (b) a partitioning of the protein structure into rigid molecular components (core atoms), and (c) an atomic mobility measure. The method is suitable for highlighting both particularly flexible and rigid parts of a protein from structures derived from NMR, X‐ray diffraction or molecular simulation. Proteins 2015; 83:820–826. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Influence of ABCB1 polymorphisms and haplotypes on tacrolimus nephrotoxicity and dosage requirements in children with liver transplant.

AIMS The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of genetic polymorphisms in ABCB1 on the incidence of nephrotoxicity and tacrolimus dosage-requirements in paediatric patients following liver transplantation. METHODS Fifty-one paediatric liver transplant recipients receiving tacrolimus were genotyped for ABCB1 C1236>T, G2677>T and C3435>T polymorphisms. Dose-adjusted tacrolimus trough concentrations and estimated glomerular filtration rates (EGFR) indicative of renal toxicity were determined and correlated with the corresponding genotypes. RESULTS The present study revealed a higher incidence of the ABCB1 variant-alleles examined among patients with renal dysfunction (> or =30% reduction in EGFR) at 6 months post-transplantation (1236T allele: 63.3% vs 37.5% in controls, P= 0.019; 2677T allele: 63.3% vs. 35.9%, p = 0.012; 3435T allele: 60% vs. 39.1%, P= 0.057). Carriers of the G2677->T variant allele also had a significant reduction (%) in EGFR at 12 months post-transplant (mean difference = 22.6%; P= 0.031). Haplotype analysis showed a significant association between T-T-T haplotypes and an increased incidence of nephrotoxicity at 6 months post-transplantation (haplotype-frequency = 52.9% in nephrotoxic patients vs 29.4% in controls; P= 0.029). Furthermore, G2677->T and C3435->T polymorphisms and T-T-T haplotypes were significantly correlated with higher tacrolimus dose-adjusted pre-dose concentrations at various time points examined long after drug initiation. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that ABCB1 polymorphisms in the native intestine significantly influence tacrolimus dosage-requirement in the stable phase after transplantation. In addition, ABCB1 polymorphisms in paediatric liver transplant recipients may predispose them to nephrotoxicity over the first year post-transplantation. Genotyping future transplant recipients for ABCB1 polymorphisms, therefore, could have the potential to individualize better tacrolimus immunosuppressive therapy and enhance drug safety.
Impact of structural reforms on planning systems and policies: Loss of spatial consciousness?

This paper argues that a planning system that allows its policies and practices to gradually lose spatial consciousness and spatial coordination capacities within and across different levels of planning administration is less likely to make national and regional plans and strategies matter or have a say in future spatial development processes. The reasoning behind this argument stems from the case of Denmark, where a structural reform that changed the country’s geographies of intergovernmental arrangements in 2007 significantly transformed the configuration and functioning of the national planning system. Originally designed to support the principle of equal development through spatial planning policies aimed at the promotion of equal access to public and private services across the national territory, the Danish planning policy framework has increasingly evolved towards expressing a lack of explicit spatial consciousness in its current plans and strategies. At the same time, the Danish planning system seems to reveal narrower measures of spatial coherence in terms of horizontal and vertical coordination and integration of sectors and policies within and across different levels of planning administration. Based on an analysis regarding the evolution of planning policies and an examination of the current governance landscape influencing planning practices at national and regional levels, the paper attempts to generate an understanding concerning how the underlying rationale and the institutional relations of Danish spatial planning have been reoriented over time.
Early NK Cell-Derived IFN-γ Is Essential to Host Defense in Neutropenic Invasive Aspergillosis1

Invasive aspergillosis is among the most common human fungal infections and occurs in patients with severe and complex defects in immune responses. NK cells have previously been found to be important in host defense against this infection, but the mechanism of this effect is not known. We hypothesized that NK cells mediate their protective effect in invasive aspergillosis by acting as the major source of IFN-γ during early infection. We found that, in the lungs of neutropenic mice with invasive aspergillosis, NK cells were the major population of cells capable of generating IFN-γ during early infection. Depletion of NK cells resulted in reduced lung IFN-γ levels and increased lung fungal load that was independent of T and B cell subsets. Depletion of NK cells and absence of IFN-γ resulted in a similar increase in susceptibility to the infection, but depletion of NK cells in IFN-γ-deficient hosts did not result in further increase in severity of the infection. NK cell-derived IFN-γ caused enhanced macrophage antimicrobial effects in vitro and also resulted in greater expression of IFN-inducible chemokines in the lungs. Finally, transfer of activated NK cells from wild-type, but not IFN-γ-deficient hosts, resulted in greater pathogen clearance from the lungs of both IFN-γ-deficient and wild-type recipients. Taken together, these data indicate that NK cells are the main source of early IFN-γ in the lungs in neutropenic invasive aspergillosis, and this is an important mechanism in the defense against this infection.