Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The T111I mutation in the EL gene modulates the impact of dietary fat on the HDL profile in women Published, JLR Papers in Press, July 16, 2003. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M300118-JLR200

The objective of the present study was to examine the impact of the T111I missense mutation in exon 3 of the endothelial lipase (EL) gene on HDL and its potential interaction effect with dietary fat. The study sample included 281 women and 216 men aged between 17 and 76 years from the Québec Family Study. Plasma HDL3-C levels of I111I homozygote women were higher compared with those of women carrying the wild-type allele (P = 0.03). These differences were not attenuated when adjusted for levels of obesity and were not observed among men. Dietary PUFA interacted with the T111I mutation to modulate apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and HDL3-C levels among women. Specifically, a diet rich in PUFA was associated with increased apoA-I levels among women carriers of the I111 allele and with decreased apoA-I among women homozygotes for the wild-type allele (P = 0.002). A similar interaction was observed with plasma HDL3-C levels (P = 0.003). These interactions were not observed among men. In conclusion, the EL T111I mutation appears to have a modest effect on plasma HDL levels. The gene-diet interaction among women, however, suggests that the T111I missense mutation may confer protection against the lowering effect of a high dietary PUFA intake on plasma apoA-I and HDL3-C levels.
Validation of Two Devices for Evaluation of Human Psychomotor Performance

The Pursuit Meter III (PM III) and the Simultaneous Hand and Foot Tracking (SHAFT) task are microcomputer-based devices for the evaluation of human psychomotor performance. Both devices are pursuit-tracking tasks. The primary task (PM III) requires a subject superimpose a line over a computer-generated sine wave. The computer wave is black and the subject's wave is red. The vertical position of the subject's wave is determined by a joystick controller. The SHAFT adds a second simultaneous tracking task (FTT) that is operated by means of a foot control. Ten naive subjects performed either device for 5 sessions/day over a three-day period. Each session consisted of 5 sweeps of the sine wave pattern. Mean performance on both tasks generally improved over the assessment period, and differential stability was reached within 10 sweeps for each device.
A preliminary study on the relationship between circulating tumor cells count and clinical features in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND To evaluate the clinical value of circulating tumor cells (CTC) count in peripheral venous blood of patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). METHODS A total of 50 NSCLC patients who were diagnosed in Wuxi No. 2 People's Hospital from January 2013 to December 2013 were selected as the NSCLC group, 35 patients with lung benign tumor as the benign group, and 28 healthy subjects as the normal control group. Venous blood samples (3 mL) were collected in all subjects for counting the CTC, and a result of ≥8.7 was judged to be positive. The relationships between the positive rate of CTC and the age, sex, pathological type, and clinical stage of NSCLC were analyzed. RESULTS CTC count was significantly higher in NSCLC group than in benign group and normal control group. In NSCLC patients, CTC count was not significantly correlated with sex, age, or the pathological type (P>0.05) but was closely related to clinical stage (P<0.01). Among NSCLC patients, CTC count significantly increased along with tumor progression. CONCLUSIONS CTC count shows certain correlation with the clinical features of NSCLC and thus can, to certain extent, reflect the status of the disease.
Generation of the alloreactive T cell repertoire: K region homology between H-2b T cell precursors and T cell maturation environment is required for the generation of the Kbm6-specific cytotoxic T cell repertoire.

The influence of T cell genotype and T cell maturation environment on the generation of the T cell alloreactive repertoire was evaluated in the H-2b cytotoxic T lymphocyte response to Kb mutant determinants expressed by the strain B6-H-2bm6. Specifically, by constructing radiation bone marrow chimeras with B6 or B10 (H-2b) donor cells and B10.BR, B10.A(4R), B10.MBR, and B6.C-H-2bm1 irradiated mice as recipients, it was possible to investigate the major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded gene products of the host environment required for the generation of a bm6-specific H-2b CTL response. The results of such experiments confirmed the previous finding that the alloreactive T cell repertoire is influenced both by T cell MHC genotype and by the MHC gene products of the T cell maturation environment. In addition, the results of the present study further demonstrated that in the chimeric donor and host genetic combinations used, it was both necessary and sufficient that there be a homology of K region-encoded determinants for the generation of a bm6-specific CTL response. Experiments utilizing a mixed responder population of unresponsive B6----B10.D2 spleen cells and responsive Lyt-2 congenic B6.Lyt-2.1 spleen cell suggested that the cellular defect(s) underlying the unresponsiveness of the chimeric cells to bm6-encoded determinants was at the level of the CTL precursor. Together, these findings indicate that an interaction of the K region-encoded gene products of the T cell and its maturation environment play a critical role in the generation of the CTL repertoire specific for bm6 mutant determinants. We discuss here the possibility that this interaction may reflect a requirement that T cells recognize such mutant allodeterminants in association with self restriction elements present on the same mutant K region-encoded molecule.
Appendicectomy: An assessment of the advisability of stump invagination

Seven hundred and thirty‐two cases of appendicectomy performed over a period of 5 years are reviewed to compare the incidence of complications and the length of the postoperative stay in hospital, depending on whether the appendix stump was simply ligated or was invaginated by purse string suture following ligation. No detrimental effects are noted following simple ligation, whereas patients who had stump invagination remained in hospital on average more than a day longer, mainly owing to a higher incidence of wound infection (16 per cent as against 6 per cent).
Zika virus: what we need to know?

Zika virus is one of the emerging viruses and is of significant threat to human health globally. It is a mosquito borne flavivirus similar to dengue, yellow fever, and West Nile viruses. It was reported about 5 decades ago and then it spreads to different parts of the world. Large outbreaks were reported on Yap Islands in 2007. Now it has gained wide attention globally by health communities. Major vector for virus transmission is Aedes aegypti mosquito. ZIKV infection is mostly asymptomatic but it is also responsible to cause mild influenza like illness to serious manifestations. There is no specific anti‐viral treatment is available for ZIKV infection. The virus disseminates very fast due to which it possesses a serious threat especially in those areas where there is lack of specific immunity against virus. Little knowledge is available on its transmission and pathogenicity. Although virus was discovered years ago but its genomic structure is not clearly understood yet. In this review we focus on the current knowledge of epidemiology of ZIKV, its transmission, its structural biology, different aspects of diagnosis and diagnostic challenges as well as highlighted appropriates antiviral drugs and vaccines regarding treatment.
Models and theories in a frictions and wage rigidities labor market

Unlike the classic market vision, where demand and supply meet immediately, at no cost, and prices are determined in such a way that demand equals supply, in the real world frictions occur in the searching process, the price offers of one of the parties are considered too high, be it the goods or services market, the real estate market or the labor market, so there are imbalances that vary over time, excess supply or excess demand. In this paper we aim to present the main models and theories in a labor market characterized by friction and wage rigidity, starting from contributions in the field of “frictions on search-based markets” by Peter A. Diamond, as well as from works belonging to economists Dale T. Mortensen and Christopher A. Pissarides, who developed and adapted the Diamond model to make it applicable to the labor market, thus resulting in one of the most used models for the analysis of unemployment and wage formation.
Jerry can carriage is an effective predictor of stretcher carry performance

Abstract Carrying a casualty on a stretcher is a critical task conducted in a range of occupations. To ensure that personnel have the requisite physical capacity to conduct this task, two bilateral jerry can carries were used to predict individual performance in a four-person stretcher carry. Results demonstrated a bilateral 22-kg jerry can carry (R2 = 0.59) had superior predictive ability of stretcher carry performance than a bilateral 15-kg jerry can carry (R2 = 0.46). Pre- to post-carry changes in grip endurance (p > 0.05), back–leg isometric strength (p > 0.05) and leg power (p > 0.05) were not significantly different between carry tasks. There was no significant difference in heart rate (p > 0.05) and oxygen consumption (p > 0.05) between the stretcher carry and either jerry can carry. Thus, on the basis of performance correlations and physiological measures, the 22-kg jerry can carry is an appropriate predictive assessment of four-person stretcher carriage. Practitioner Summary: This study investigated the ability of a jerry can carry to predict individual performance on a four-person stretcher carry. Performance correlations were substantiated with physiological measures to demonstrate similar physical requirements between task and test. These results can be used to set physical employment standards to assess stretcher carriage.
A novel adaptive transmit-receive architecture for indoor DS-UWB systems

In this paper we present a novel transmit-receive scheme based on adaptive receiver for indoor DS-UWB systems. The proposed scheme consists of a transmitter, an adaptive receiver and a switch module which performs switching the link's status from training phase to transmission phase, or vice versa. Furthermore, we evaluate performance on convergence rate, complexity and robustness for three types of adaptive receivers namely LMS, RLS and NLMS, then examine their BER performance under the realistic IEEE 802.15. 3a channel model. Simulation results support the theoretical analysis and show that the proposed scheme can achieve higher throughput than a conventional one without loss of BER performance.
Direct Interaction between Uracil-DNA Glycosylase and a Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen Homolog in the CrenarchaeonPyrobaculum aerophilum *

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) acts as a sliding clamp on duplex DNA. Its homologs, present in Eukarya and Archaea, are part of protein complexes that are indispensable for DNA replication and DNA repair. In Eukarya, PCNA is known to interact with more than a dozen different proteins, including a human major nuclear uracil-DNA glycosylase (hUNG2) involved in immediate postreplicative repair. In Archaea, only three classes of PCNA-binding proteins have been reported previously: replication factor C (the PCNA clamp loader), family B DNA polymerase, and flap endonuclease. In this study, we report a direct interaction between a uracil-DNA glycosylase (Pa-UDGa) and a PCNA homolog (Pa-PCNA1), both from the hyperthermophilic crenarchaeonPyrobaculum aerophilum (Topt = 100 °C). We demonstrate that the Pa-UDGa-Pa-PCNA1 complex is thermostable, and two hydrophobic amino acid residues onPa-UDGa (Phe191 and Leu192) are shown to be crucial for this interaction. It is interesting to note that although Pa-UDGa has homologs throughout the Archaea and bacteria, it does not share significant sequence similarity with hUNG2. Nevertheless, our results raise the possibility thatPa-UDGa may be a functional analog of hUNG2 for PCNA-dependent postreplicative removal of misincorporated uracil.
The morphology and kinetics of spermatogonial degeneration in normal adult rats: An analysis using a simplified classification of the germinal epithelium

The phenomena of spermatogonial degeneration have been studied in normal adult rat testes using a simplified classification of the germinal epi‐thelium based upon the six types of differentiating spermatogonia. The following features distinguished this from schemes based on acrosome development. Rather than 14 stages of unequal duration, there are only six stages, five of which are of the same length. The classification starts at the beginning of spermatogenesis with A1 spermatogonia rather than at the onset of spermiogenesis. The classification is derived from actual biological events in spermatogenesis, namely generation times of spermatogonia, rather than upon arbitrary events in acrosome development. Most importantly, this new classification can be used with most types of preparations and in most experimental conditions.
Estimating the effect of an external factor behind an input-output table

An input-output table represents a quantitative economic relation between different branches of industries and has been widely used. This paper proposes a new approach to analyze the input-output table. From the network derived from the table, we estimate the effect of an external factor which is behind the scene. By introducing imaginary node into the network so as not to change the current situation, we can obtain the hidden relation. The newly added links of the imaginary node represents the relation between the external factor and internal nodes. We demonstrate that the relation between industrial sectors and a government can be obtained from this method.
Spatial scaling of functional gene diversity across various microbial taxa

Understanding the spatial patterns of organisms and the underlying mechanisms shaping biotic communities is a central goal in community ecology. One of the most well documented spatial patterns in plant and animal communities is the positive-power law relationship between species (or taxa) richness and area. Such taxa–area relationships (TARs) are one of the principal generalizations in ecology, and are fundamental to our understanding of the distribution of global biodiversity. However, TARs remain elusive in microbial communities, especially in soil habitats, because of inadequate sampling methodologies. Here, we describe TARs as gene–area relationships (GARs), at a whole-community level, across various microbial functional and phylogenetic groups in a forest soil, using a comprehensive functional gene array with >24,000 probes. Our analysis indicated that the forest soil microbial community exhibited a relatively flat gene–area relationship (slope z = 0.0624), but the z values varied considerably across different functional and phylogenetic groups (z = 0.0475–0.0959). However, the z values are several times lower than those commonly observed in plants and animals. These results suggest that the turnover in space of microorganisms may be, in general, lower than that of plants and animals.
Using Continuous Data Tracking Technology to Study Exercise Adherence in Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is an important component in the management of respiratory diseases. The effectiveness of PR is dependent upon adherence to exercise training recommendations. The study of exercise adherence is thus a key step towards the optimization of PR programs. To date, mostly indirect measures, such as rates of participation, completion, and attendance, have been used to determine adherence to PR. The purpose of the present protocol is to describe how continuous data tracking technology can be used to measure adherence to a prescribed aerobic training intensity on a second-by-second basis. In our investigations, adherence has been defined as the percent time spent within a specified target heart rate range. As such, using a combination of hardware and software, heart rate is measured, tracked, and recorded during cycling second-by-second for each participant, for each exercise session. Using statistical software, the data is subsequently extracted and analyzed. The same protocol can be applied to determine adherence to other measures of exercise intensity, such as time spent at a specified wattage, level, or speed on the cycle ergometer. Furthermore, the hardware and software is also available to measure adherence to other modes of training, such as the treadmill, elliptical, stepper, and arm ergometer. The present protocol, therefore, has a vast applicability to directly measure adherence to aerobic exercise.
Outcomes of patients with myelodysplatic syndrome and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia post clofarabine failure

Background: The outcome of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) post clofarabine is unknown. Methods: We reviewed 109 patients with MDS or CMML with a median age of 67 years, treated with a clofarabine-based chemotherapy as frontline (n = 38) or salvage (n = 71) therapy. A total of 58 (53%) patients received salvage therapy after clofarabine failure: 13 allogeneic stem cell transplant (ASCT), 18 high-dose cytarabine-containing regimen, 10 hypomethylating agents and 17 investigational treatments. Results: Eight patients achieved complete remission (CR) and three had stable disease for an overall response rate of 19%. With a median follow-up of 3 months from clofarabine failure, 12 patients (11%) remained alive, 5 remain in CR, 4 of them after ASCT. The median overall survival post clofarabine failure was 4 months with a 1-year survival rate of 23%. Conclusions: This outcome is predictable, with patients with high-risk disease at the time of clofarabine failure having the worse survival. To date, patients with MDS continue to have a short survival after failure of all available therapies. Ultimately, patients who are candidates for additional treatments should be offered novel approaches. In conclusion, the outcome of patients with MDS and CMML post clofarabine failure is poor. The pattern is similar to patients with MDS post hypomethylating agent failure and predictable using University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center global scoring system.
Predictability in heartbeat data

Predicting the behavior of chaotic dynamical systems is difficult in general. It is important to study such systems since the existence of chaos implies potential short term predictability. Several methods exist to analyze time series, including correlation dimension and the Brock-Dechert-Scheinkman-LeBaron (BDSL) test. Recently, a new tool, sample entropy (SampEn), has gained importance for data differentiation. We have applied these methods to cardiovascular time series data. Our findings suggest that correlation dimension is useful in analyzing such data, but not of sufficient power to discriminate between various data generating processes while sample entropy can be used as a supplementary tool.
A fraud triangle analysis of the libor fraud

The London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) is a benchmark rate in which banks charge each other an agreed upon interest rate for short-term loans. Beginning in 2007, accusations began to surface that the banks were rigging the LIBOR rates (see The Telegraph, 2012). As the collapse of the global financial crisis (GFC) drew closer in 2007, liquidity concerns drew public scrutiny towards banks (BBC, 2013, para. 8). With concerns about their financial stability, many of the banks that make up the LIBOR stopped lending to each other and some even submitted lower rates to position themselves to be financially stable. Together, these signs prompted commentators to declare that the banks were in financial trouble (BBC, 2012, 2013). In 2008, a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article reinforced these accusations by reporting a marked difference in the LIBOR and the WSJ’s calculation of the average interest rates (see Mollenkamp, 2008). The entire LIBOR scandal (hereinafter “fraud”) came to light in the height of the GFC when, in 2008, a Barclays’ employee queried by a New York Federal official explained that Barclays was underreporting its rates (BBC, 2013, para. 23).
Flexibility and charge asymmetry in the activation loop of Src tyrosine kinases

Regulated activity of Src kinases is critical for cell growth. Src kinases can be activated by trans‐phosphorylation of a tyrosine located in the central activation loop of the catalytic domain. However, because the required exposure of this tyrosine is not observed in the down‐regulated X‐ray structures of Src kinases, transient partial opening of the activation loop appears to be necessary for such processes. Umbrella sampling molecular dynamics simulations are used to characterize the free energy landscape of opening of the hydrophilic part of the activation loop in the Src kinase Hck. The loop prefers a partially open conformation where Tyr416 has increased accessibility, but remains partly shielded. An asymmetric distribution of the charged residues in the sequence near Tyr416, which contributes to shielding, is found to be conserved in Src family members. A conformational equilibrium involving exchange of electrostatic interactions between the conserved residues Glu310 and Arg385 or Arg409 affects activation loop opening. A mechanism for access of unphosphorylated Tyr416 into an external catalytic site is suggested based on these observations. Proteins 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Community-based adaptation to climate change in small island developing states: an analysis of the role of social capital

ABSTRACT In the context of climate change, small island developing states (SIDS) need to engage in adaptation efforts. Due to the rural, remote and specific institutional characteristics of SIDS, these efforts are commonly implemented at the community level. Therefore, the adaptive capacity of the community is an essential attribute of the adaptation process. With a focus on the role of social capital, this paper provides a quantitative analysis of determinants of household intention to participate in community adaptation projects, using data from a household survey and discrete choice experiment conducted in a coastal community in the Federated States of Micronesia. The results reveal that expectation of high climate change risks and strong sense of social capital enhance adaptive capacity. Participation in community activities and perception of threats to the social group in question are important components of social capital in determining adaptive capacity. Household size, income diversification, and very high resource dependency are negatively related to the household’s intention to contribute to community adaptation and therefore adaptive capacity. These results provide crucial insights for the design and implementation of community adaptation projects in SIDS.