Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Suppression of atrial myosin gene expression occurs independently in the left and right ventricles of the developing mouse heart

Many cardiac genes are broadly expressed in the early heart and become restricted to the atria or ventricles as development proceeds. Additional transcriptional differences between left and right compartments of the embryonic heart have been described recently, in particular for a number of transgenes containing cardiac regulatory elements. We now demonstrate that three myosin genes which become transcriptionally restricted to the atria between embryonic day (E) 12.5 and birth, α‐myosin heavy chain (MHC), myosin light chain (MLC) 1A and MLC2A, are coordinately downregulated in the compact myocardium of the left ventricle before that of the right ventricle. α‐MHC protein also accumulates in the right, but not left, compact ventricular myocardium during this period, suggesting that this transient regionalisation contributes to fktal heart function. dHAND and eHAND, basic helix‐loop‐helix transcription factors known to be expressed in the right and left ventricles respectively at E10.5, remain regionalised between E12.5 and E14.5. Downregulation of α‐MHC, MLC1A, and MLC2A in iv/iv embryos, which have defective left/right patterning, initiates in the morphological left (systemic) ventricle regardless of its anatomical position on the right or left hand side of the heart. This points to the importance of left/right ventricular differences in sarcomeric gene expression patterns during fktal cardiogenesis and indicates that these differences originate in the embryo in response to anterior‐posterior patterning of the heart tube rather than as a result of cardiac looping. Dev Dyn 2000;217:75–85. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vision, Task, and Hope: The Hong Kong Education Reform Movement in the 21st Century

The Hong Kong education reform movement is discussed in light of our shared vision, our past failed attempts, the tasks ahead, and our hope in talent development for all learners. It is believed that the issues of the centrality of the learner, equity, excellence, multiple talents, and the learn­ ing society bear directly on our reform measures. An evolutionary approach that maximizes success is suggested, ensuring the collaboration among learners, practitioners in schools, parents and other stakeholders, the re­ spect for diversity and choice, the equitable pursuit of excellence, the pro­ gramming for talent development for all students, and the promotion of educational research that informs practice.
Two arginine residues in the COOH‐terminal of human β‐defensin‐3 constitute an essential motif for antimicrobial activity and IL‐6 production

Human β‐defensin‐3 (HBD‐3) possesses antimicrobial activities and the potential to induce proinflammatory cytokines. HBD‐3 contains a unique motif of two arginine residues (Arg or R) in the COOH‐terminal region. To understand the bioactive properties of the Arg residues of HBD‐3, we examined antimicrobial activities against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa using synthetic HBD‐2, HBD‐3 and two variant peptides of HBD‐3: the Arg‐truncated variant designated desR HBD‐3 and NRR HBD‐3, in which both Arg residues were shifted to the N‐terminal region. IL‐6 production from keratinocytes was studied using the peptides. HBD‐3 possessed approximately five‐fold more potent antimicrobial activities, evaluated as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), against S. aureus compared with desR and NRR HBD‐3, while no significant activity was observed in HBD‐2. The antimicrobial activity of HBD‐3 against S. aureus was well preserved even at high sodium chloride concentrations, but was attenuated in desR and NRR HBD‐3. All the peptides exhibited similar antimicrobial activities against P. aeruginosa, but HBD‐2 and desR HBD‐3 showed diminished antimicrobial activities against P. aeruginosa at high salt concentrations. IL‐6 production was significantly induced in keratinocytes with HBD‐3, but not remarkably with stimulation by other peptide. These Arg residues are essential for the antimicrobial and biological properties of HBD‐3.
Development and Internal Validation of a Clinical Risk Score for Treating Children With Mild Head Trauma and Intracranial Injury

Importance The appropriate treatment of children with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and intracranial injury (ICI) on computed tomographic imaging remains unclear. Evidence-based risk assessments may improve patient safety and reduce resource use. Objective To derive a risk score predicting the need for intensive care unit observation in children with mTBI and ICI. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective analysis of the prospective Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN) head injury cohort study included patients enrolled in 25 North American emergency departments from 2004 to 2006. We included patients younger than 18 years with mTBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score, 13-15) and ICI on computed tomography. The data analysis was conducted from May 2015 to October 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the composite of neurosurgical intervention, intubation for more than 24 hours for TBI, or death from TBI. Multivariate logistic regression was used to predict the outcome. The C statistic was used to quantify discrimination, and model performance was internally validated using 10-fold cross-validation. Based on this modeling, the Children’s Intracranial Injury Decision Aid score was created. Results Among 15 162 children with GCS 13 to 15 head injuries who received head computed tomographic imaging in the emergency department, 839 (5.5%) had ICI. The median ages of those with and without a composite outcome were 7 and 5 years, respectively. Among those patients with ICI, 8.7% (n = 73) experienced the primary outcome, including 8.3% (n = 70) who had a neurosurgical intervention. The only clinical variable significantly associated with outcome was GCS score (odds ratio [OR], 3.4; 95% CI, 1.5-7.4 for GCS score 13 vs 15). Significant radiologic predictors included midline shift (OR, 6.8; 95% CI, 3.4-13.8), depressed skull fracture (OR, 6.5; 95% CI, 3.7-11.4), and epidural hematoma (OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.8-6.2). The model C statistic was 0.84 (95% CI, 0.79-0.88); the 10-fold cross-validated C statistic was 0.83. Based on this modeling, we developed the Children’s Intracranial Injury Decision Aid score, which ranged from 0 to 24 points. The negative predictive value of having 0 points (ie, none of these risk factors) was 98.8% (95% CI, 97.3%-99.6%). Conclusions and Relevance Lower GCS score, midline shift, depressed skull fracture, and epidural hematoma are key risk factors for needing intensive care unit–level care in children with mTBI and ICI. Based on these results, the Children’s Intracranial Injury Decision Aid score is a potentially novel tool to risk stratify this population, thereby aiding management decisions.
Treatment Algorithms in Critical Care: Do They Improve Outcomes?

Patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) often have significant underlying morbidities that require complex treatment plans. Because of these complexities, numerous guidelines have been developed to facilitate the management of the critically ill patient. Some of these guidelines include sepsis, community-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, sedation, and glycemic control. Once guidelines are written, a treatment protocol must be developed and implemented within the critical care unit. Our medical center has implemented multiple treatment protocols, often with preprinted order sets with various degrees of success. In 2003, we implemented and later evaluated a sedation order form and protocol. Patients whose sedation was initiated with a standardized order form had more frequent sedation score assessment, less time between sedation vacations, reduced ICU length of ICU stay, and a trend in reduction of ventilator days. However, only 37% of eligible patients were treated using the order form and the protocol, despite the potentially beneficial effects. Some recommendations within guidelines are based on sound clinical evidence supported by randomized controlled trials, although others are based on expert opinion only. The most often-cited reason for protocol noncompliance is disagreement with the published clinical trial data. This paper examines both infectious and noninfectious treatment guidelines and the supportive evidence that they improved patient outcomes. In addition, strategies for successful implementation of a treatment guideline are discussed for clinicians to follow in order to maximize clinical outcomes.
Proteomic approaches for discovery of new targets for vaccine and therapeutics against visceral leishmaniasis

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is the most devastating type caused by Leishmania donovani, Leishmania infantum, and Leishmania chagasi. The therapeutic mainstay is still based on the antiquated pentavalent antimonial against which resistance is now increasing. Unfortunately, due to the digenetic life cycle of parasite, there is significant antigenic diversity. There is an urgent need to develop novel drug/vaccine targets against VL for which the primary goal should be to identify and characterize the structural and functional proteins. Proteomics, being widely employed in the study of Leishmania seems to be a suitable strategy as the availability of annotated sequenced genome of Leishmania major has opened the door for dissection of both protein expression/regulation and function. Advances in clinical proteomic technologies have enable to enhance our mechanistic understanding of virulence/pathogenicity/host–pathogen interactions, drug resistance thereby defining novel therapeutic/vaccine targets. Expression proteomics exploits the differential expression of leishmanial proteins as biomarkers for application towards early diagnosis. Further using immunoproteomics efforts were also focused on evaluating responses to define parasite T‐cell epitopes as vaccine/diagnostic targets. This review has highlighted some of the relevant developments in the rapidly emerging field of leishmanial proteomics and focus on its future applications in drug and vaccine discovery against VL.
Effects of Pregnane X Receptor Genetic Polymorphisms on Stable Warfarin Doses

Objective: Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a transcriptional regulator of many drug-metabolizing enzymes including cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C9. The objective of this study was to assess the possible association between PXR single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and stable warfarin doses. Methods: A total of 201 patients with stable warfarin doses from the EwhA-Severance Treatment (EAST) Group of Warfarin were included in this study. The influence of genetic polymorphisms on stable warfarin doses was investigated by genotyping 11 SNPs, that is, vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1 (VKORC1) rs9934438, CYP2C9 rs1057910, CYP4F2 rs2108622, constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) rs2501873, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) rs3212198, and PXR (rs3814055, rs1403526, rs3732357, rs3732360, rs2276707 and rs2472682). Subgroup analysis was conducted on CYP2C9 wild-type homozygote allele (AA) carriers. Results: One PXR SNP of rs2472682 (A>C) exhibited significant association with stable warfarin doses in study population and the subgroup; variant homozygote carriers required significantly lower daily doses of warfarin than those carrying wild allele by about 0.8 mg. Approximate 43.7% of overall interindividual variability in warfarin dose requirement was explained by multivariate regression model. VKORC1, CYP2C9, age, CYP4F2, PXR rs2472682, and CAR/HNF4α rs2501873/rs3212198 accounted for 29.6%, 5.9%, 3.7%, 2.3%, 1.3%, and 0.9% of the variability, respectively. PXR SNP of rs2472682 remained a significant factor in CYP2C9 wild-type homozygote carriers based on univariate and multivariate analyses. The combination of CAR/HNF4α/PXR SNPs of rs2501873/rs3212198/rs2472682 showed about 1 mg dose difference between grouped genotypes in study population and subgroup. Conclusion: Our results revealed that PXR could be a determinant of stable warfarin doses.
Societal preferences for the return of incidental findings from clinical genomic sequencing: a discrete-choice experiment

Background: An important challenge with the application of next-generation sequencing technology is the possibility of uncovering incidental genomic findings. A paucity of evidence on personal utility for incidental findings has hindered clinical guidelines. Our objective was to estimate personal utility for complex information derived from incidental genomic findings. Methods: We used a discrete-choice experiment to evaluate participants’ personal utility for the following attributes: disease penetrance, disease treatability, disease severity, carrier status and cost. Study participants were drawn from the Canadian public. We analyzed the data with a mixed logit model. Results: In total, 1200 participants completed our questionnaire (available in English and French). Participants valued receiving information about high-penetrance disorders but expressed disutility for receiving information on low-penetrance disorders. The average willingness to pay was $445 (95% confidence interval [CI] $322–$567) to receive incidental findings in a scenario where clinicians returned information about high-penetrance, medically treatable disorders, but only 66% of participants (95% CI 63%–71%) indicated that they would choose to receive information in that scenario. On average, participants placed an important value ($725, 95% CI $600–$850) on having a choice about what type of findings they would receive, including receipt of information about high-penetrance, treatable disorders or receipt of information about high-penetrance disorders with or without available treatment. The predicted uptake of that scenario was 76% (95% CI 72%–79%). Interpretation: Most participants valued receiving incidental findings, but personal utility depended on the type of finding, and not all participants wanted to receive incidental results, regardless of the potential health implications. These results indicate that to maximize benefit, participant-level preferences should inform the decision about whether to return incidental findings.
Regulation of Salmonella typhimurium ilvYC genes

The Salmonella typhimurium LT2 ilvYC genes were studied by fusion of each gene to the Escherichia coli K-12 galK gene. The expression of ilvY and ilvC could then be determined by measurement of the galK-encoded galactokinase enzyme. The promoter for ilvC, pC, was located by this technique to a 0.42-kilobase BglII-EcoRI fragment of the S. typhimurium ilvGEDAYC gene cluster. This sequence was completely sufficient for alpha-acetohydroxyacid-inducible galK expression. The ilvY gene was located within a 1.0-kilobase XhoI-SalI fragment. ilvY gene expression was constitutive with respect to ilv-specific control signals. The ilvY gene was transcribed in the same direction as the other two transcriptional units in the ilvGEDAYC gene cluster, ilvGEDA and ilvC. Transcription of the ilvC gene was completely dependent upon the activity of its own promoter, pC, and independent from transcription of the ilvY gene. The role of the intervening region between ilvY and ilvC in regulation of ilvC expression was explored.
Control of wind turbines: A tutorial on proactive perspectives

Recent achievements in the proactive turbine control1, based on the upwind speed measurements are described in a unified tutorial fashion (as an extension of the tutorial [1]), that in turn represents a systematic view of the control activity carried out within the Swedish Wind Power Technology Center (SWPTC). A new turbine control problem statement with constraints on blade loads is reviewed. This problem statement allows the design of a new class of simultaneous speed and pitch control strategies based on the preview measurements and look-ahead calculations. A generation of a piecewise constant desired pitch angle profile which is calculated using the turbine load prediction is reviewed in this paper as one of the most promising approaches. This in turn allows the reduction of the pitch actuation and the design of the collective pitch control strategy with the maximum possible actuation rate. Two turbine speed control strategies based on one-mass and two-mass models of the drivetrain are also described in this paper. The strategies are compared to the existing drivetrain controller. Moreover, postprocessing technique that can be used for estimation of the turbine parameters with improved performance is also discussed. Postprocessing based estimation of the turbine inertia moment is given as an example. All the results are illustrated by simulations with a wind speed record from the Hönö turbine, located outside of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Beyond GDP: Towards a Green Economy Index

ABSTRACT Given the broad (economic, social and environmental) objectives of a green economy, and the limitations associated with mainstream measures of economic performance (such as gross domestic product), an alternative or expanded set of indicators is required for measuring progress toward a green economy. This article develops a composite index for measuring green economic performance, based on 26 indicators across the economic, social and environmental dimensions. The index will enable comparison of a country's green economic performance both over time and relative to other countries. Furthermore, the index is constructed in such a way as to allow for disaggregation (i.e. for scores on individual components to be seen at a glance), such that areas of specific concern can be easily identified and addressed, and progress in each area monitored over time. The index was tested on data from 193 countries, and the resulting country rankings were assessed.
Empirical analysis on the priority order in public goods supply by government in building a new countryside

Increasing the supply of public goods to rural areas is a crucial step to promote the construction of a new socialist countryside, which is a major historic task in China's modernization. Therefore, it bears great policy implication to find out how the government should control the investment in countryside and which public goods should be given priority in order to make full use of the limited government capital. On the basis of document sorting-out and analysis, this paper establishes the framework and model for the analysis on the order of priority in providing public goods to rural areas. The paper proposes that the government supply of public goods should aim at promoting the increase of labor productivity in agricultural and nonagricultural sectors as well as the increase of farmers' income. The paper explores the contribution of such public goods as scientific research, medicare and social security to rural residents' income and agricultural and nonagricultural labor productivity. Based on the results of the empirical study, the paper offers suggestions to the government for identifying priority order in public goods supply in the hope of promoting rural economic growth, development of social undertaking and construction of a new socialist countryside.
Linear reasoning. A new form of the Herbrand-Gentzen theorem

In Herbrand's Theorem [2] or Gentzen's Extended Hauptsatz [1], a certain relationship is asserted to hold between the structures of A and A′, whenever A implies A′ (i.e., A ⊃ A′ is valid) and moreover A is a conjunction and A′ an alternation of first-order formulas in prenex normal form. Unfortunately, the relationship is described in a roundabout way, by relating A and A′ to a quantifier-free tautology. One purpose of this paper is to provide a description which in certain respects is more direct. Roughly speaking, ascent to A ⊃ A′ from a quantifier-free level will be replaced by movement from A to A′ on the quantificational level. Each movement will be closely related to the ascent it replaces. The new description makes use of a set L of rules of inference, the L-rules. L is complete in the sense that, if A is a conjunction and A′ an alternation of first-order formulas in prenex normal form, and if A ⊃ A′ is valid, then A′ can be obtained from A by an L-deduction, i.e., by applications of L-rules only. The distinctive feature of L is that each L-rule possesses two characteristics which, especially in combination, are desirable. First, each L-rule yields only conclusions implied by the premisses.
Theoretical model of MW antennas to treat bone tumors: One slot and one slot choked antennas

Bone cancer has a prevalence in young population. Unfortunately, it presents a low level of morbidity but a very high level of mortality. Most common treatments for bone tumors are surgery (amputation), radiotherapy and chemotherapy. These treatments present side effects, which affects patients' life quality. Thermotherapy is a new friendlier alternative to treat this kind of tumors. Specifically, for thermal ablation, the tumor temperature must be around 60°C-100°C. There are several types of microcoaxial antennas designed to treat liver tissue; however, to treat bone tumors less options have been proposed. Two microwave antennas to treat bone tumors by thermal ablation were designed. The antennas were: 1) one slot, and, 2) one slot choked. Several simulations were done to evaluate the effect of different treatment conditions. The behavior of the antennas was modeled by the finite element method (COMSOL Multiphysics). Electromagnetic and thermal simulations were performed to predict the areas of higher energy absorption and heating. Several scenarios like slot length, antenna insertion among others were simulated. Results showed that the thermal pattern generated in tissues changes when the antenna design and treatment characteristics are modified. All antennas show their best results with a 3mm with a power loss around 20%. The SWR was around 2.350–1.484 for bone models; and around 2.401–1.418 for the multi-layer ones. On the other hand, the one slot choked antenna showed higher areas with therapeutic temperature than the one slot antenna.
The measurement of engagement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clearly define the concept of engagement and distinguish it from other descriptions of positive employee well-being. It then discusses how to measure this concept objectively and reliably. Design/methodology/approach The paper looks at the distinctive meaning of the term “engagement” and expresses concern that the term has been diluted with its popularity. It analyses the drivers of true engagement and then looks at how the evidence of the reality can be measured and the drivers themselves. It concludes with a brief summary of the link between engagement and performance. Findings Some key conclusions in the paper are that engagement should not be confused with measures of satisfaction; that a clear distinction should be made between the evidence and reality of engagement and the drivers that cause it; that both should be measured and much more frequently than the typical annual opinion survey; that off-the-shelf surveys should be validated against the specific employees we are surveying and added to if necessary; and that the link between true engagement and improved performance is solidly established. Originality/value This paper is based partly on engagement literature and partly on models and experience of the author. It critiques a number of current practices.