Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is It Possible to Perform a Linear Lesion with No Local Electrograms Using a Three-Dimensional Mapping System for the Ablation of Typical Atrial Flutter?

AIMS A randomized prospective study to evaluate the efficacy, safety and long-term outcomes of the complete disappearance of local electrograms along the linear lesion using the EnSite NavX three-dimensional mapping system compared to the conventional fluoroscopy-based mapping for the ablation of typical atrial flutter (AFL). METHODS 83 patients with spontaneous AFL episodes were randomized to the conventional procedure (group I, 41 patients) or to the EnSite NavX three-dimensional mapping system (group II, 42 patients). When bidirectional block was achieved, a renavigation of the ablation line was performed to verify the absence of local potentials along the line. RESULTS In all patients, bidirectional isthmus block was achieved. Total mean fluoroscopy time was 19.8 +/- 4.1 min and 9.1 +/- 3.5 min (p < 0.001) and radiofrequency (RF) mean fluoroscopy time was 6.9 +/- 1.4 min and 0.6 +/- 0.3 min (p < 0.001), respectively, in group I and II. During long-term follow-up of 16 +/- 9 months, there were 4 (10%) AFL recurrences in group I and 0 in group II (p < 0.005). CONCLUSION NavX accurately renavigates the lesion line and verifies local potentials. The electro-anatomic activation map accurately identifies gaps in the RF lesion line and no recurrences were found compared with 10% recurrences after standard procedures for typical AFL.
Oligonucleotide primers designed to differentiate pathogenic pseudomonads on the basis of the sequencing of genes coding for 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacers

Universal primers targeting conserved sequences flanking the 3' end of the 16S and the 5' end of the 23S rRNA genes (rDNAs) were used to amplify the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacers (ITS) from eight species of pseudomonads which have been associated with human infections. Amplicons from reference strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas cepacia, Pseudomonas gladioli, Pseudomonas mallei, Pseudomonas mendocina, Pseudomonas pickettii, Pseudomonas pseudomallei, and Xanthomonas maltophilia were cloned from each species, and sequence analysis revealed a total of 19 distinct ITS regions, each defining a unique sequevar with ITS sizes ranging from 394 (P. cepacia) to 641 (P. pseudomallei) bp. Five distinct ITS sequevars in P. cepacia, four in P. mendocina, three in P. aeruginosa, two each in P. gladioli and P. pseudomallei, and one each in P. mallei, P. pickettii, and X. maltophilia were identified. With the exception of one P. cepacia ITS, all ITS regions contained potential tRNA sequences for isoleucine and/or alanine. On the basis of these ITS sequence data, species-specific oligonucleotide primers were designed to differentiate P. aeruginosa, P. cepacia, and P. pickettii. The specificities of these primers were investigated by testing 220 clinical isolates, including 101 strains of P. aeruginosa, 103 strains of P. cepacia, and 16 strains of P. pickettii, in addition to 24 American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Pseudomonas strains. The results showed that single primer pairs directed at particular ITSs were capable of specifically identifying the ATCC reference strains and all of the clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa and P. pickettii, but this was not the case with several ITS-based primer pairs tested for P. cepacia. This pathogen, on the other hand, could be specifically identified by primer pairs directed against the 23S rDNA.
The Met allele of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism is associated with increased BDNF levels in generalized anxiety disorder

Background Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common psychiatric disorder characterized by long-term worry, tension, nervousness, fidgeting, and symptoms of autonomic system hyperactivity. The neurobiology of this disorder is still unclear, although it has been shown consistently that the environment and the genetic profile could increase its risk. We examined whether a polymorphism in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, which plays a role in neuroplasticity and memory, could increase the vulnerability to this disorder. Participants and methods In our study, 816 participants from a population-based study were genotyped by qPCR for the BDNF functional variant rs6265 (Val66Met) and the BDNF serum levels were measured by ELISA. Results Our results showed a significant association between the Met allele and risk for GAD (P=0.014), but no differences were observed in the serum levels of BDNF according to diagnosis (P=0.531) or genotype distribution (P=0.197). However, after stratification according to the GAD diagnosis, the Met allele was associated significantly with an increase in serum BDNF levels compared with the Val/Val genotype in GAD participants (F=3.93; P=0.048). The logistic regression analysis confirmed the independent association of Met allele as a risk factor for development of GAD after adjusting for confounder variables (&bgr;=0.528; 95% confidence interval: 0.320–0.871; P=0.012). Conclusion These results suggest that BDNF could be involved in the neurobiology of GAD and might represent a useful marker associated with the disease.
Fostering professionalism in medical education

Increasing attention has been focused on developing professionalism in medical school graduates. Unfortunately, the culture of academic medical centers and the behaviors that faculty model are often incongruent with our image of professionalism. The need for improved role modeling, better assessment of student behavior, and focused faculty development is reviewed. We propose that the incentive structure be adjusted to reward professional behavior in both students and faculty. The third-year medicine clerkship provides an ideal opportunity for clinician-educators to play a leading role in evaluating, rewarding, and ultimately fostering professionalism in medical school graduates.
An Introduction To The Structural Econometrics Of Auction Data

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Base Release and Modification in Solid-Phase DNA Exposed to Low-Energy Electrons

Ionization generates a large number of secondary low-energy electrons (LEEs) with a most probable energy of approximately 10 eV, which can break DNA bonds by dissociative electron attachment (DEA) and lead to DNA damage. In this study, we investigated radiation damage to dry DNA induced by X rays (1.5 keV) alone on a glass substrate or X rays combined with extra LEEs (average energy of 5.8 eV) emitted from a tantalum (Ta) substrate under an atmosphere of N2 and standard ambient conditions of temperature and pressure. The targets included calf-thymus DNA and double-stranded synthetic oligonucleotides. We developed analytical methods to measure the release of non-modified DNA bases from DNA and the formation of several base modifications by LC-MS/MS with isotopic dilution for precise quantification. The results show that the yield of non-modified bases as well as base modifications increase by 20–30% when DNA is deposited on a Ta substrate compared to that on a glass substrate. The order of base release (Gua > Ade > Thy ∼ Cyt) agrees well with several theoretical studies indicating that Gua is the most susceptible site toward sugar-phosphate cleavage. The formation of DNA damage by LEEs is explained by DEA leading to the release of non-modified bases involving the initial cleavage of N1-C1′, C3′-O3′ or C5′-O5′ bonds. The yield of base modifications was lower than the release of non-modified bases. The main LEE-induced base modifications include 5,6-dihydrothymine (5,6-dHT), 5,6-dihydrouracil (5-dHU), 5-hydroxymethyluracil (5-HmU) and 5-formyluracil (5-ForU). The formation of base modifications by LEEs can be explained by DEA and cleavage of the C-H bond of the methyl group of Thy (giving 5-HmU and 5-ForU) and by secondary reactions of H atoms and hydride anions that are generated by primary LEE reactions followed by subsequent reaction with Cyt and Thy (giving 5,6-dHU and 5,6-dHT).
A unified framework for performance analysis of DF cognitive relay networks under interference constraints

In this paper, we present a unified performance analysis for cognitive cooperative communication systems. In particular, the system performance in terms of outage probability (OP) for three cooperative protocols, i.e. fixed decode-and-forward (DF) relaying (FR), selective DF relaying (SR), incremental DF relaying (IR), under interference constraints, is derived over dissimilar Rayleigh fading channels corrupted by additive white Gaussian noise. The closed-form, integral-free, OP readily enables us to evaluate the cognitive cooperative system performance, which indicates the significance of using relay in cognitive environment. To verify the analytical results, we provide some selected Monte Carlo simulations and the performance comparison of these protocols at the end.
A Canine Distemper Outbreak in Alaska: Diagnosis and Strain Characterization Using Sequence Analysis

Vaccination with modified-live vaccines has been very effective in reducing the incidence of canine distemper, a disease that can be devastating in unvaccinated populations. A diagnostic submission to the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, involved a case in which several hundred dogs in an Alaskan town died in a suspected canine distemper outbreak. Cytoplasmic and intranuclear eosinophilic inclusion bodies, consistent with canine distemper virus (CDV) infection, were found in urinary bladder, spleen, lung, and salivary gland. Direct fluorescent antibody test gave results that could be considered positive for canine distemper. Because of the condition of the tissues received, the histopathology and fluorescent antibody–staining results were suggestive but not conclusive of CDV. In this study, immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and DNA sequencing were used to confirm the presence of canine distemper virus in these tissues and to perform molecular characterization of the virus. Immunohistochemistry showed the presence of the virus in spleen, lung, and salivary gland. Viral RNA was detected by RT-PCR in brain, spleen, liver, lung, and kidney, both with nucleoprotein and phosphoprotein (P)-gene–specific primers. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis of a 540-bp P-gene fragment of the Alaskan strain with corresponding sequences of 2 vaccine and 7 wild-type CDV strains showed that the virus responsible for the outbreak was closely related to a virulent strain of distemper virus from Siberia.
Investigation into the causes of delay in land acquisition for PPP projects in developing countries

Purpose The land is a critical resource for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure development. However, acquisition of land for PPP infrastructure projects implementation increasingly becomes problematic in developing countries. Yet, effort at investigating the factors causing a delay in land acquisition for PPP infrastructure projects through an empirical method in developing countries received scant attention. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to identify and critically assess the factors predisposing PPP projects implementation to land acquisition delay in Nigeria using an empirical approach. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted literature review and questionnaire survey. For instance, literature review was used to identify the factors causing delay in land acquisition for PPP projects in developing countries, which was used to design the questionnaire survey culminating in data analysis. To capture a broad perception, the questionnaires were administered to three different primary stakeholder groups comprised public sector authorities (i.e. ministries, department, agencies), concessionaires and lenders/banks involved in PPP projects implementation in Nigeria. Data collected were analysed using mean score, Kruskal–Wallis test and factor analysis. Findings The study revealed the mean score ranking of 22 identified factors causing a delay in land acquisition for PPP projects in Nigeria. The result of factor analysis grouped the 22 identified factors into 4 principal factors, namely, resettlement issues with political interference; non-availability of land with a higher cost of land transactions; weak planning institutions; and rehabilitation issues with extensive legal delays. Practical implications These study findings have implications for both policymakers considering PPP projects and private investors seeking to finance a PPP project in developing countries. Also, the study findings would be useful for the governments in Nigeria and other developing countries to formulate clear policies framework that facilitates the smooth acquisition of land for PPP projects. Originality/value The study will be beneficial to the potential local and foreign private investors and governments by broadening their awareness on impediments in land acquisition for PPP projects in Nigeria and developing countries at large. These study findings are crucial, as not many empirical studies have been conducted in Nigeria and many other developing countries.
Improved method for detecting knee replacement infections based on extended combined 99mTc-white blood cell/bone imaging

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an extension of the imaging time to 24 h post-injection improves the diagnostic accuracy of technetium-99m-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (99mTc-HMPAO) leucocyte imaging in detecting knee replacement infections. Thirty patients were studied, with infection confirmed in eight (27%) and excluded in 22 on the basis of clinical and microbiological findings. Leucocyte imaging was carried out at 2-4 h (routine images) and at 24 h (late images) post-injection. For comparison, bone imaging with technetium-99m-hydroxydiphosphonate (99mTc-HDP) was carried out at arterial, soft tissue and metabolic phases. Late leucocyte imaging was found to be more sensitive (100% vs. 87.5%) and more specific (82% vs. 77%) than routine leucocyte imaging in detecting infections. All the bone imaging methods showed a sensitivity of 100%, whereas the specificity varied from only 5% to 23%. All procedures had high negative predictive values (NPVs) (94 to 100%) for excluding infection. However, the positive predictive value (PPV) was only 28 to 32% for bone imaging and 58% for routine leucocyte imaging, whereas late leucocyte imaging showed a PPV of 67% and a diagnostic accuracy of 87%. The data indicate that late leucocyte imaging may be superior to routine leucocyte imaging for examining patients with symptomatic knee replacements.
Corporate attributes and corporate accruals

espanolEn este articulo se estudia la relacion lineal existente entre los atributos y los devengos corporativos (discrecionales) en Bangladesh. El comportamiento de los devengos corporativos se explica a traves de atributos corporativos como el tamano de los activos, la cifra de negocios, las ganancias por accion, el numero de accionistas, los anos de cotizacion, los vinculos internacionales de la firma auditora, la estructura de propiedad, el grado de internacionalizacion, la categoria de mercado y el leverage. Se observa una relacion estadisticamente significativa entre los devengos corporativos y el tamano de los activos. Tambien se ha observado un inconsistente crecimiento de los inventarios, un crecimiento mas rapido de las deudas pendientes y una sobrevaloracion de los activos fijos en los informes del Comite de Investigacion. De hecho, los devengos corporativos no dependen de los atributos corporativos sino mas bien de la mentalidad del manager corporativo. La administracion es una posicion unica en lo que se refiere a la generacion de estados financieros fraudulentos. Este articulo sugiere que el establecimiento una serie de medidas entre las que se incluyen la creacion del Instituto de Supervision Colegiada de Bangladesh, revisiones de auditoria, la actualizacion de las directrices de la gobernanza corporativa, una mayor independencia del Consejo de Administracion y el fortalecimiento del marco institucional, para proteger los derechos de los accionistas, especialmente los marginales EnglishThis study examines the linear relationship between corporate attributes and corporate accruals (discretionary accruals) in Bangladesh. The behaviour of corporate accruals is explained by corporate attributes such as asset size, turnover, earnings per share, number of shareholders, year of listing, international link of audit firm, ownership structure, internationality, market category, and leverage. A statistically significant relationship is observed between corporate accruals and asset size. We also observed inconsistent growth of inventory, faster growth of accounts receivable with an overvaluation of fixed assets reported by probe committee. Indeed, corporate accruals are not dependent on corporate attributes but rather on the mindset of the corporate manager. Management is in a unique position to produce fraudulent financial statements. The study suggests a number of measures including the establishment of an Institute of Chartered Surveyor of Bangladesh (ICSB), the introduction of audit reviews, the updating of corporate governance guidelines, increasing the effectiveness of board independence, and the strengthening institutional setting, in order to protect the rights of stakeholders, especially marginal shareholders
An mTph2 SNP gives rise to alterations in extracellular 5‐HT levels, but not in performance on a delayed‐reinforcement task

5‐Hydroxytryptamine (5‐HT) is an important neurotransmitter mediating many aspects of cognition and behaviour. One psychology in which 5‐HT plays an important role is impulsive responding. Recently, we have demonstrated that variation in an aspect of impulsive behaviour, namely delayed gratification, has a clear genetic contribution. Here, we examined the neurobiological relevance of a recently discovered single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the murine gene tryptophan hydroxylase (mTph2) by analysing extracellular levels of 5‐HT in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and ventral striatum (VS), key brain regions for impulsive behaviours. The allelic variants were associated with systematic effects on baseline 5‐HT efflux in the mPFC and VS. We then went on to examine whether the mTph2 allelic variants gave rise to differences in impulsive behaviour. However, the mTph2 genotype, and therefore presumably baseline brain levels of 5‐HT, did not predict impulsive choice, as indexed by sensitivity to delayed reinforcement. Consequently, the data do not support a role for the mTph2 C1473G polymorphism on this aspect of impulsive behaviour. Instead, they indicate that perturbations of the 5‐HT system via heritable traits may have differential consequences for qualitatively distinct aspects of impulsive behaviour.
Fragmented QRS Is Associated with All‐Cause Mortality and Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patient with Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Background: Several studies have showed that fragmented QRS complexes (f ‐ QRS, defined as different RSR′ patterns) on a routine 12 ‐ lead electrocardiogram were associated with increased mortality and arrhythmic events in patients with coronary artery disease, but relatively little data were available regarding idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDCM).
An Ardl Approach to Identify Bank Landing Channel in Indonesia

This paper tests whether the bank lending channel works in Indonesia. It develops an error correction representation of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model of two bank credit markets. Each model takes account of one structural break associated with the 1998 financial crisis. The date of the crisis is determined by a unit root test that includes two structural breaks. Instead of Johansen’s cointegrating procedure, bounds test procedure is implemented. The estimated error correction model for both markets suggests that bank loans adjust more strongly towards loan supply, implying that monetary-induced disturbances in bank loans originate from the supply side. Keywords: bank lending channel, unit root, structural breaks
Folding free energy function selects native-like protein sequences in the core but not on the surface

An automatic protein design procedure is used to select amino acid sequences that optimize the folding free energy function for a given protein. The only information used in designing the sequences is a set of known backbone structures for each protein, a rotamer library, and a well established classical empirical force field, which relies on basic physical chemical principles that underlie molecular interactions and protein stability, and has not been adjusted to yield native-like sequences. Applying the procedure to 7 different known protein folds, representing a total of 45 different native protein structures, yields ensembles of designed sequences displaying remarkable similarity to their natural counterparts in the protein core, but which are distinctly non-native on the protein surface. We show that natural and designed sequences for a given fold score significantly higher than random sequences against profiles derived from both, designed and natural sequence ensembles. Furthermore, we find that designed sequence profiles can be used to retrieve the native sequences for many of the analyzed proteins using standard PSI-BLAST searches in sequence databases. These findings may have important implications for our understanding the selection pressures operating on natural protein sequences and hold promise for improving fold recognition.
Identification of the Electron Transfer Flavoprotein as an Upregulated Enzyme in the Benzoate Utilization of Desulfotignum balticum

Desulfotignum balticum utilizes benzoate coupled to sulfate reduction. Two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) analysis was conducted to detect proteins that increased more after growth on benzoate than on butyrate. A comparison of proteins on 2D gels showed that at least six proteins were expressed. The N-terminal sequences of three proteins exhibited significant identities with the α and β subunits of electron transfer flavoprotein (ETF) from anaerobic aromatic-degraders. By sequence analysis of the fosmid clone insert (37,590 bp) containing the genes encoding the ETF subunits, we identified three genes, whose deduced amino acid sequences showed 58%, 74%, and 62% identity with those of Gmet_2267 (Fe-S oxidoreductase), Gmet_2266 (ETF β subunit), and Gmet_2265 (ETF α subunit) respectively, which exist within the 300-kb genomic island of aromatic-degradation genes from Geobacter metallireducens GS-15. The genes encoding ETF subunits found in this study were upregulated in benzoate utilization.