Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Sitagliptin, a Dipeptidyl Peptidase‐4 Inhibitor, on Blood Pressure in Nondiabetic Patients With Mild to Moderate Hypertension

The effect of sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor, on ambulatory blood pressure was assessed in nondiabetic patients with mild to moderate hypertension in a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, 3‐period crossover study. Nineteen patients on stable treatment with antihypertensive agent(s) received sitagliptin 100 mg b.i. d. , 50 mg b.i. d. , or placebo for 5 days, with at least a 7‐day washout interval between periods. Twenty‐four‐hour ambulatory blood pressure, including systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial pressure, were monitored on days 1 and 5. Relative to placebo on day 1, the mean difference in 24‐hour systolic blood pressure was −0.9 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: −2.9 to 1.1; P = .46) with sitagliptin 50 mg b.i. d. and −2.8 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: −4.9 to −0.8; P < .05) with 100 mg b.i. d. On day 5, the mean difference in 24‐hour systolic blood pressure was −2.0 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: −3.5 to −0.4; P < .05) with 50 mg b.i. d. and −2.2 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: −3.7 to −0.6; P < .05) with 100 mg b.i. d. relative to placebo. For 24‐hour diastolic blood pressure, there were no between‐group differences in mean 24‐hour diastolic blood pressure on day 1. On day 5, sitagliptin 50 mg and 100 mg b.i. d significantly (P < .05) lowered mean 24‐hour diastolic blood pressure by −1.8 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: −2.8 to −0.8) and −1.6 mm Hg (90% confidence interval: −2.6 to −0.7), respectively, relative to placebo. Sitagliptin produced small but statistically significant reductions of 2 mm Hg to 3 mm Hg in 24‐hour ambulatory blood pressure measurements acutely (day 1) and at steady state (day 5), and was generally well tolerated in nondiabetic patients with mild to moderate hypertension.
Why Did Income Inequality in Germany Not Increase Further After 2005?

Abstract While income inequality in Germany considerably increased in the years before 2005, this trend stopped after 2005. We address the question of what factors were responsible for the break in the inequality trend after 2005. Our analysis suggests that income inequality in Germany did not continue to rise after 2005 for the following reasons. First, we observe that the general rise in wage inequality that explained a lot of the inequality increase before 2005, became less steep (but did not stop) after 2005. Second, despite further increases in wage inequality after 2005, inequality in annual labour incomes did not increase further after 2005 because increased within-year employment opportunities compensated otherwise rising inequality in annual labour incomes. Third, income inequality did not fall in a more marked way after 2005 because also the middle and the upper part of the distribution benefited from the employment boom after 2006. Finally, we provide evidence that the effect of a wide range of other factors that are often suspected to have influenced the distribution such as capital incomes, household structures, population ageing, changes in the tax and transfer system and the financial crisis of 2008 did not significantly alter the distribution after 2005.
The Association Between Mothers' Social Support and Provision of Stimulation to Their Children

Specific forms of maternal social support were analyzed for their relationship to a validated measure of home stimulation (the Inventory of Home Stimulation). The 69 study families were chosen to represent a wide variability of social support at the time of the child's birth. All index children had been discharged from a neonatal intensive care unit 3 years before the study. The overall Maternal Social Support Index (MSSI) developed for the study explained a significant (p < .01) amount of variance in the home stimulation of 3-year-olds after income, race, maternal age, and other possible confounding variables had been controlled. In addition, specific MSSI items were strongly associated with various forms of environmental stimulation. The data suggest that augmentation of specific aspects of mothers' social support networks may increase their children's informal learning opportunities.
Deletion of the Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein 7 Gene Impairs Parasite Invasion of Erythrocytes

ABSTRACT Merozoite surface proteins have been implicated in the initial attachment to the host red blood cell membrane that begins the process of invasion, an important step in the life cycle of the malaria parasite. In Plasmodium falciparum, merozoite surface proteins include several glycosylphosphatidyl inositol-anchored proteins and peripheral proteins attached to the membrane through protein-protein interactions. The most abundant of these proteins is the merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP1) complex, encoded by at least three genes: msp1, msp6, and msp7. The msp7 gene is part of a six-member multigene family in Plasmodium falciparum. We have disrupted msp7 in the Plasmodium falciparum D10 parasite, as confirmed by Southern hybridization. Immunoblot and indirect immunofluorescence analyses confirmed the MSP7 null phenotype of D10ΔMSP7 parasites. The synthesis, distribution, and processing of MSP1 were not affected in this parasite line. The level of expression and cellular distribution of the proteins MSP1, MSP3, MSP6, MSP9, and SERA5 remained comparable to those for the parental line. Furthermore, no significant change in the expression of MSP7-related proteins, except for that of MSRP5, was detected at the transcriptional level. The lack of MSP7 was not lethal at the asexual blood stage, but it did impair invasion of erythrocytes by merozoites to a significant degree. Despite this reduction in efficiency, D10ΔMSP7 parasites did not show any obvious preference for alternate pathways of invasion.
Can Power from Below Change the World?

Prevailing perspectives on power cannot explain why political protests from the bottom of societies sometimes result in reforms that reflect the grievances of the protestors. I propose a new theory of “interdependent power” that provides such an explanation. I argue that, contrary to common views, globalization actually increases the potential for this kind of popular power.
Developmental Reading Course Repeaters with Significant Cognitive Disabilities at the Community College: Evaluating Enrollment Motivations and Goals

This study investigated the enrollment motivations f developmental reading course repeaters at St. Louis Community College (ST LCC) who are judged to be highly unlikely to exit the developmental reading sequence by their instructors and/or counselors in the Access Office, the office that assists stude nts with disabilities. This three-phase study consisted of interviewing STLCC students in t his population (Phase I) and surveying their parents (Phase II), as well as surv eying fulltime reading faculty and Access counselors at STLCC (Phase III) to ascertain their opinions of the Phase I and Phase II findings and to collect their opinions on a range of possible institutional responses. Six themes emerged from Phase I data that explain w hy these students initially enroll in college and persist despite repeated fail ure. They enroll because they believe they are intellectually capable students; to earn d egrees to improve their self-worth; to earn degrees to improve their employability; becaus e they are inspired by and/or prompted by others to do so; to meet their social n eeds; and, to some degree by default. Six additional themes emerged that explain why thes e students specifically choose to attend STLCC. They make STLCC their college choice to take advantage of the extensive array of academic support services known t be offered especially at community colleges; to continue benefiting from the important daily support their live-in advocates provide; to attend a specific STLCC campu s because it is in close proximity to their home; because STLCC’s open enrollment policy provides them their only opportunity to enroll as a college student; because STLCC is affordable; and because of STLCC’s reputation as a quality institution of high er education.
Three essays on Upstream and Downstream Disruptions along Nutritional High-value Food Supply Chains in Emerging Countries

This dissertation presents three essays on disruptions along nutritional high-value food supply chains in emerging countries. It extends our understanding of threats to the attainment of food security in emerging countries. With a contribution to agricultural economics, the dissertation relies on value chain, market growth and price transmission theories and applies both panel data and time series econometric techniques to analyse the sources and magnitudes of the disruption of nutritional high-value food chains.The first part of the dissertation examines disruptions in unprocessed and minimally processed nutritional high-value food markets. Chapter 2 examines upstream and downstream disruptions along these food chains. Chapter 3 extends the analysis in Chapter 2 by assessing how disruptions change when nutritional high-value foods are highly processed. For each of the two chapters, disruptions are studied in terms of changes in upstream and downstream quantities and prices, with the disruption of quantity considered primary while that of prices is secondary.Using the Sao Paulo food market as a case study, Chapter 4 analyses the effect of diesel price shocks on different segments of the nutritional high-value food supply chain. A Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) that takes into account upstream and downstream cross-price effects is estimated to ascertain if diesel price shocks are higher downstream based on price transmission theory.The results of Chapters 2 and 3 show that climatological disasters are the most dominant source of disruption of nutritional high-value food supply chains and the direction of impact is negative for all foods under study. The magnitude of disruption, however, varies by food. From the VECM results in Chapter 4, we see that the price of diesel has a positive and significant effect on food prices, while the effects downstream are lower than those upstream. These results have significant implications for the design and implementation of food policies in emerging countries.As a general introduction, Chapter 1 justifies the need to study upstream and downstream differences in the magnitude of supply chain disruption, by situating the dissertation in the existing supply chain and food price transmission literature. Chapter 5 concludes the study and offers suggestions for future research.
Oar, a 115-kilodalton membrane protein required for development of Myxococcus xanthus

Myxococcus xanthus is a developmental gram-negative bacterium which forms multicellular fruiting bodies upon nutrient starvation. This bacterium was found to contain a 115-kDa membrane protein which separated with the inner membrane fraction by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The gene for this protein was cloned, and its DNA sequence was determined. The deduced amino acid sequence consists of 1,061 residues. This protein contains a putative signal sequence and many short segments, found scattered throughout the entire protein, that have sequence similarities with OmpA, a major outer membrane protein of Escherichia coli. Thus, the gene was designated oar (OmpA-related protein). A second open reading frame was found 36 bases downstream of the oar termination codon. This open reading frame encodes a protein of 236 residues and contains a putative lipoprotein signal sequence. An aor disruption mutation (delta oar) showed no effect on vegetative growth but caused abnormal morphogenesis during development and reduced myxospore formation. When examined with a light microscope, delta oar cells were unable to aggregate on developmental agar, indicating that Oar is required for cellular adhesiveness during development.
Sulfoxidation of mercapturic acids derived from tri- and tetrachloroethene by cytochromes P450 3A: a bioactivation reaction in addition to deacetylation and cysteine conjugate beta-lyase mediated cleavage.

In the present study we investigated the formation of sulfoxides from N-acetyl-S-(1,2,2-trichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-TCVC), N-acetyl-S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-1,2-DCVC), and N-acetyl-S-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine (N-Ac-2,2-DCVC), which are formed in the glutathione dependent bioactivation of tri- and tetrachloroethene. The first aim was to elucidate the enzymes involved in these oxidation reactions. N-Ac-TCVC, N-Ac-1,2-DCVC, and N-Ac-2,2-DCVC are oxidized to the corresponding sulfoxides mainly, if not exclusively, by cytochrome P450 enzymes in liver microsomes of untreated male rats, since no role for the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) could be demonstrated by heat inactivation experiments and by the use of n-octylamine. The sulfoxidation rates were increased when using liver microsomes of phenobarbital and dexamethasone pretreated male rats as well as liver microsomes of dexamethasone pretreated female rats, while no sulfoxide formation was observed in liver microsomes of untreated female rats, suggesting an involvement of cytochrome P450 3A. Also, troleandomycin, a specific chemical inhibitor for cytochrome P450 3A, drastically reduced sulfoxidation rates. The observed rates of sulfoxidation also correlated well with the rates of oxidation of testosterone at the 6-beta-position, a specific marker for P450 3A activity. The second aim of this study was to compare the cytotoxicity of the sulfoxides with the cytotoxicity of the corresponding mercapturic acids in isolated rat renal epithelial cells. Both mercapturic acids and the corresponding sulfoxides were cytotoxic. Cytotoxicity of the mercapturic acids could be blocked by (aminooxy)acetic acid (AOAA), an inhibitor of cysteine conjugate beta-lyase, while the cytotoxicity of the sulfoxides was not influenced by this treatment. Moreover, the sulfoxides were significantly more cytotoxic than the corresponding mercapturic acids at equimolar doses. The results show that mercapturic acids derived from TRI and PER are oxidized to sulfoxides by microsomal monooxygenases from rat liver. The cytotoxicity of the produced sulfoxides could not be reduced by AOAA, consistent with a role of the sulfoxides as direct acting electrophiles (i.e., Michael acceptor substrates).
Single‐molecule dynamics of the molecular chaperone trigger factor in living cells

In bacteria, trigger factor (TF) is the molecular chaperone that interacts with the ribosome to assist the folding of nascent polypeptides. Studies in vitro have provided insights into the function and mechanism of TF. Much is to be elucidated, however, about how TF functions in vivo. Here, we use single‐molecule tracking, in combination with genetic manipulations, to study the dynamics and function of TF in living E. coli cells. We find that TF, besides interacting with the 70S ribosome, may also bind to ribosomal subunits and form TF‐polypeptide complexes that may include DnaK/DnaJ proteins. The TF‐70S ribosome interactions are highly dynamic inside cells, with an average residence time of ∼0.2 s. Our results confirm that the signal recognition particle weakens TF's interaction with the 70S ribosome, and further identify that this weakening mainly results from a change in TF's binding to the 70S ribosome, rather than its unbinding. Moreover, using photoconvertible bimolecular fluorescence complementation, we selectively probe TF2 dimers in the cell and show that TF2 does not bind to the 70S ribosome but is involved in the post‐translational interactions with polypeptides. These findings contribute to the fundamental understanding of molecular chaperones in assisting protein folding in living cells.
Hormone replacement therapy in Denmark, 1995–2004

Background. Recently, the Danish National Register of Medicinal Product Statistics (NRM) was opened for research purposes, and therefore, on an individual basis, can merge with other national registers. The aim of this study was to analyse the use of hormones based on the individual data of the entire Danish female population, with the focus on a detailed evaluation of specific hormone regimens and factors associated with systemic hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Methods. All Danish female citizens, aged 15–70 years during the study period 1995–2004, were identified in the Civil Registration System, and their redeemed prescriptions for hormones and medication for diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and heart conditions were retrieved from the NRM. Information on habitation, education, employment and gynaecological surgery was obtained from other national registers. Results. After 2002, the use of HRT was reduced by 65%. In 2002, HRT was most prevalent in women aged 55–59 years, when an average of 200 defined daily doses per 1,000 women per day was recorded. In 2002, approximately 39% of women aged 50–57 years were ever exposed to HRT. The mean duration of HRT was 5 years in an 8‐year time window. During the study period, there was a significant decline in the use of systemic hormones, initially due to a decrease in cyclic combined therapy, but after 2002 continuous combined therapy decreased rapidly. HRT was positively associated with middle‐term education, employment status, and living in urban areas. Women treated for diabetes used hormones less frequently than women without diabetes. Women using antiarrhythmics or antihypertensives used hormones more often than women not using this medication. HRT was positively associated with gynaecological surgery. Conclusion. One in five women, aged 50‐59 years, redeemed daily HRT. Use of HRT declined from 1995 to 2002, but more than halved after 2002. HRT is associated to redemption of other medications of significance for health.
High count rate first-pass radionuclide angiography using a digital gamma camera.

In this study, first-pass radionuclide angiography (FPRNA) was performed using a digital single-crystal gamma camera. Twenty-nine men and six women (ages 43-80, mean 61 yr) underwent FPRNA in the supine position immediately prior to cardiac catheterization. Total counts/sec in the whole field-of-view in the right ventricular phase were 150,352 +/- 26,006. Background uncorrected counts in the representative cycle were 7,651 +/- 2,527 at end-diastolie and 4,904 +/- 2,314 at end-systolie. A linear correlation between FPRNA left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction and contrast LV ejection fraction gave an r = 0.95 with an s.e. e. of 0.05. Analyses of intra- and interobserver variability gave r = 0.99 and 0.98 and an s.e. e. of 0.02 and 0.03, respectively. Spearman-Rank correlation coefficients between FPRNA and contrast angiographic wall-motion scores were greater than 0.8 for all walls, while sensitivity/specificity were 0.86/0.90, 0.76/1.00, 0.76/1.00 for anterior, apical, and inferior wall-motion abnormalities, respectively. We conclude that satisfactory counting statistics for FPRNA can be obtained with a digital gamma camera, and that accurate and reproducible measurements of global and regional left ventricular function can be obtained with this technique.
Feminist Activism and the Politics of Reform: When and Why Do States Respond to Demands for Gender Equality Policies?

Under what conditions is gender equality policy advocacy successful? This article examines a segment of the largely quantitative comparative political science literature that seeks to answer this question. Recent scholarship emphasizes such factors as the strength of women's movements and the forms of opposition to which their policy demands give rise. However, one consequence of this approach is that the role of strategic choices made by feminist policy advocates is underestimated in explaining their successes. The article argues that understanding variation in the outcomes achieved by women's rights advocates requires close attention to the strategic capacity of policy entrepreneurs, assessed in terms of three interâ€ related activities: (1) â€˜framingâ€™ policy demands; (2) forming and managing civic alliances; and (3) engaging with state entities without compromising organizational autonomy.
Factors to Assets: Mapping Factor Exposures to Asset Allocations

The authors develop a methodology that maps a given set of factor exposures to a group of asset classes. When there are fewer factors than asset classes, which is the case in most practical situations, the mapping is not unique. The authors show how one can express a given set of factor exposures as a particular combination of assets subject to real-world investor preferences and constraints: leverage, minimum and maximum asset class positions, illiquid versus liquid proportions, active risk, turnover, and other constraints. Formally, the authors find the set of asset classes that has the minimum distance in terms of factor exposures from the desired set, subject to these constraints.
Intellectual property scorecard: Strategically capitalising on value created by innovation and R&D

South Africa is currently losing ground in the international technology race. The decline in capitalization of Intellectual Property (IP) is staggering and levels of investment in R&D are short. Industrial growth is Africapsilas new development strategy, driven by the emergence of new markets. This necessitates the management of multiple competencies that exploit resources, knowledge and management ability, to adapt better and faster than the competition; this also requires investment in transport, technology and communications infrastructure, through technological innovation and application, coupled with a customer centric, process driven, bottom-up and transformational management stance. Within the realm of effective knowledge management, strategically developing and taking ownership of knowledge and then capitalizing on that knowledge should now be a key focus of top management. The research focuses on inductive development of Kaplan and Norton's Balanced Scorecard that identifies areas for development in knowledge management, and specifically the required strategic management stance demanded from Product Developers and Innovators with respect to IP, to achieve the competitive high-ground. The research offers useful insights on how product developers should carve out competitive turf, particularly from a knowledge and IP value creation perspective, seeking ultimately to enhance corporate/shareholder and product-life-cycle value.
Tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and their interaction in the causation of hepatocellular carcinoma

During a 4‐year period from January 1995 to December 1998, blood samples and questionnaire data were obtained from 333 incident cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), as well as from 360 controls who were hospitalized for eye, ear, nose, throat or orthopedic conditions in Athens, Greece. Coded sera were tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti‐HCV) by third‐generation enzyme immunoassays, and information on smoking habits and beverage consumption was obtained. We found a significant dose‐response, positive association between smoking and HCC risk [≥ 2 packs per day, odds ratio (OR)=2.5]. This association was stronger in individuals without chronic infection with either HBV or HCV (≥ 2 packs per day, OR=2.8). Consumption of alcoholic beverages above a threshold of 40 glasses per week increased the risk of HCC (OR=1.9). We also found evidence of a strong, statistically significant and apparently super‐multiplicative effect of heavy smoking and heavy drinking in the development of HCC (OR for both exposures=9.6). This interaction was particularly evident among individuals without either HBsAg or anti‐HCV (OR for both exposures=10.9). Coffee intake was not positively associated with HCC risk, but the reverse could not be excluded for the subgroup of chronically infected individuals. In conclusion, tobacco smoking and heavy alcohol consumption are associated with increased risk of HCC, especially when these 2 exposures occur together. Int. J. Cancer 85:498–502, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.