Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Labor on Outcomes in Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn: Population-Based Study

OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to assess the effect of labor on the risk and course of transient tachypnea of the newborn (TTN) in term neonates from a contemporary, population-based cohort. METHODS: We analyzed perinatal characteristics of term singleton newborns (gestational age [GA] of ≥37 completed weeks) who were born between January 2001 and December 2005 in the federal states of Hesse and Saarland (Germany). TTN was diagnosed on the basis of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes. RESULTS: Of a total of 275 459 births, 239 971 fulfilled the inclusion criteria of GA of ≥37 completed weeks and singleton live birth. Among those, 13 346 term infants were admitted for neonatal care and 1423 were diagnosed as having TTN. The overall incidence of TTN was 5.9 cases per 1000 singleton live births in our study cohort. Elective cesarean section, low GA, male gender, and low birth weight were associated with TTN. The duration of oxygen supplementation for newborns with TTN was associated inversely with the duration of labor (r = −0.151; P = .028). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that TTN is strongly related to elective cesarean section and low GA. Furthermore, the absence of exposure to labor contractions is associated with increased risk and severe course of TTN at term, with longer duration of oxygen supplementation.
Elucidation of megalin/LRP2-dependent endocytic transport processes in the larval zebrafish pronephros

Megalin/LRP2 is an endocytic receptor in the proximal tubules of the mammalian kidney that plays a central role in the clearance of metabolites from the glomerular filtrate. To establish a genetic model system for elucidation of molecular components of this retrieval pathway, we characterized orthologous transport processes in the zebrafish. We show that expression of megalin/LRP2 and its co-receptor cubilin is conserved in the larval zebrafish pronephros and demarcates a segment of the pronephric duct that is active in clearance of tracer from the ultrafiltrate. Knock-down of megalin/LRP2 causes lack of Rab4-positive endosomes in the proximal pronephric duct epithelium and abrogates apical endocytosis. Similarly, knock-down of the megalin/LRP2 adaptor Disabled 2 also blocks renal clearance processes. These results demonstrate the conservation of the megalin/LRP2 retrieval pathway between the larval zebrafish pronephros and the mammalian kidney and set the stage for dissection of the renal endocytic machinery in a simple model organism. Using this model system, we provide first genetic evidence that renal tubular endocytosis and formation of endosomes is a ligand-induced process that crucially depends on megalin/LRP2 activity.
Relations between isoprene and nitric oxide in exhaled breath and the potential influence of outdoor ozone: a pilot study

The role of endogenous isoprene in the human body, if any, is unclear because previous research is inconsistent and mechanistic evidence for the biologic function of isoprene is lacking. Given previous evidence that exhaled isoprene is elevated in systemic inflammatory states, we hypothesized that exhaled isoprene would be positively associated with a breath biomarker of airway inflammation, the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FENO). We examined relationships of exhaled breath isoprene with FENO and with outdoor ozone given that ozone chemically reacts with isoprene and has been positively associated with FENO in past studies. Sixteen elderly subjects were followed with ≤12 weekly exhaled hydrocarbon and FENO collections at the subjects’ retirement community. Outdoor ozone concentrations were measured continuously on site. Mixed-effects regression analyses tested relations of FENO with isoprene, and FENO and isoprene with ozone, adjusted for temperature. We found FENO was inversely associated with isoprene, and this was not confounded by ozone. Isoprene was inversely related to ozone. FENO was positively related to ozone and this relation was not confounded by isoprene. In contrast to hypothesized relations, we conclude that exhaled isoprene is inversely associated with FENO as well as outdoor ozone, which suggests possible protective ozone-scavenging functions of endogenous isoprene. Findings may indicate chemical reactions of isoprene oxidation by ozone and by hydroxyl radicals in the presence of O2 that is dependent on NO concentration. These preliminary results need to be confirmed in additional studies of human subjects, particularly as they apply to FENO monitoring in asthma.
Clonal Selection for Transcriptionally Active Viral Oncogenes during Progression to Cancer

ABSTRACT Primary keratinocytes immortalized by human papillomaviruses (HPVs), along with HPV-induced cervical carcinoma cell lines, are excellent models for investigating neoplastic progression to cancer. By simultaneously visualizing viral DNA and nascent viral transcripts in interphase nuclei, we demonstrated for the first time a selection for a single dominant papillomavirus transcription center or domain (PVTD) independent of integrated viral DNA copy numbers or loci. The PVTD did not associate with several known subnuclear addresses but was almost always perinucleolar. Silent copies of the viral genome were activated by growth in the DNA methylation inhibitor 5-azacytidine. HPV-immortalized keratinocytes supertransduced with HPV oncogenes and selected for marker gene coexpression underwent crisis, and the surviving cells transcribed only the newly introduced genes. Thus, transcriptional selection in response to environmental changes is a dynamic process to achieve optimal gene expression for cell survival. This phenomenon may be critical in clonal selection during carcinogenesis. Examination of HPV-associated cancers supports this hypothesis.
Insights into extramedullary tumour cell growth revealed by expression profiling of human plasmacytomas and multiple myeloma

Summary. Malignant plasma cells generally grow within the bone marrow microenvironment; however, they can also grow at extramedullary sites. To identify the tumour‐specific alterations required for extramedullary growth, we analysed the expression profiles of a series of plasma cell neoplasms including primary multiple myeloma (MM), plasma cell leukaemia (PCL) and extramedullary plasmacytoma (EPC). Hierarchical clustering analysis segregated the EPCs from the remaining samples, and revealed an expression pattern associated with angiogenesis in the EPCs, involving higher expression of the genes TIE2, NOTCH3, CD31 and endoglin. Direct comparison of EPC samples with the MM samples identified 156 genes significantly upregulated and 85 genes significantly downregulated (P < 0·005, t‐test) in the EPCs, including several genes involved in angiogenesis and adhesion that were upregulated (including angiopoietin 1, SPARC, Notch3 and fibronectin 1). Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated CD31 and endoglin protein expression in the EPC tumour cells, which are both angiogenesis related and could confer malignant plasma cells with the ability to grow outside the normal bone marrow environment. Defining how malignant plasma cell growth is regulated in the bone marrow versus at extramedullary sites will help to delineate the mechanisms underlying the dependence of tumour cell growth on angiogenesis and cell adhesion.
Solid Organ Transplantation: Are there Predictors for Posttransplant Noncompliance? A Literature Overview

Background. Many studies confirm that noncompliance or poor compliance is one of the great problems in health care as it results in waste of resources and funds. Methods. This overview includes literature on heart, liver, and kidney transplants with emphasis on heart transplantation in adult and pediatric transplant patients and addresses the following variables as potential predictors of postoperative compliance problems: demographic variables (age, marital status, gender) psychological variables (anxiety, denial) psychiatric disorders (major depression, anxiety, and personality disorders), poor social support, pretransplant noncompliance, obesity, substance abuse, and health-related variables (distance from transplant center, indication for transplantation, required pretransplant assist device). Relevant studies on these topics that were conducted up to 1999 are included and discussed in this overview. The most important results are presented in tables. Results. Unfortunately, there has not been any systematic and comprehensive review of the literature on predictors of noncompliance in organ transplant patients so far. With organ transplantation noncompliance impairs both life quality and life span as it is a major risk factor for graft rejection episodes and is responsible for up to 25% of deaths after the initial recovery period. Therefore, it might be assumed that well-informed transplant patients are a highly motivated group whose compliance is just as high. This is not the case. However, even when graft loss means loss of life as in heart or liver transplantation, noncompliance occurs. To best select potential organ recipients, it would be ideal if patients who are very likely to show noncompliant behavior could be identified already before being transplanted. Conclusion. The literature overview shows the necessity of preoperative psychosocial screening regarding predictors for posttransplant noncompliance.
PROCESO ANALÍTICO JERÁRQUICO PARA SELECCIONAR MÉTODOS DE MANEJO FORESTAL EN DURANGO

Los bosques del estado de Durango han sido manejados en algunas regiones desde hace más de 100 años. Actualmente en la entidad, la preferencia hacia uno u otro método es a nivel de subrodal dentro de cada predio, a partir de un árbol de decisiones que incorpora preguntas en función del valor de diferentes parámetros Sin embargo, este sistema no permite tomar en cuenta otros criterios que podrían estar implicados en cada caso particular. Así, se presenta el programa MPC 2.01 MEX© que emplea la metodología de toma de decisiones multicriterio de comparación por pares AHP o Proceso Analítico Jerárquico, que facilita al gestor forestal la selección del método de manejo en bosques. Toma en cuenta un conjunto de criterios de sostenibilidad del orden ambiental, social, económico y técnico, además de cuatro alternativas de manejo: Método Mexicano de Ordenación de Bosques Irregulares (MMOBI), Método de Desarrollo Silvícola (MDS), Corta a Matarrasa y No Cortar. Su aplicación se analizó en un predio del estado de Durango y los resultados indican que la pendiente, así como el incremento corriente anual y los costos de establecimiento o manejo de la regeneración fueron muy importantes al elegir el método de manejo. El MMOBI y el MDS destacaron para gran parte de los criterios, mientras que Corta a Matarrasa obtuvo la máxima puntuación cuando se consideraron los ingresos estimados de madera, y la alternativa no cortar fue la más valorada bajo el criterio de costos de establecimiento o manejo de la regeneración.
Localized Lepromatous Leprosy in Household Contact of Multibacillary Disease

Background: Lepromatous leprosy (LL) is a generalized disease, usually with numerous papules, nodules, or plaques containing abundant Mycobacterium leprae and affecting wide areas of the skin. Aim: To report on an LL patient presenting with two lesions on the face and to discuss its epidemiologic significance in the current context of leprosy elimination. Methods: A 52-year-old housewife presented to our department with erythematous lesions over her face for 2 months. Her husband and son were treated for multibacillary leprosy 15 years previously. An infiltrated erythematous nodule was located over the right supraorbital area, and a single papule was present on the right eyelid. The rest of the examination was normal. Results: A slit skin smear from the lesion revealed a bacillary index of 6+ and a morphologic index of 6%. A skin biopsy showed atrophic epidermis with an underlying clear grenz zone; the dermis showed massive infiltration of foamy macrophages, filled with bacilli and a few lymphocytes. Conclusions: The presentation of LL or borderline lepromatous leprosy (BL) as a single cutaneous lesion (or localized lesions) is a rare presentation of multibacillary disease, and such cases can be undertreated. This case also highlights the need to further explore the role of immunoprophylaxis or chemoprophylaxis in the contacts of multibacillary cases.
Integrated United Nations Management Model -A United Nations Just-In-Time Approach

The study was motivated by the United Nations Management Reform programme initiated in 2000 (U.N., 2000). Since then, United Nations organizations focus their spotlight on organizational changes and managerial reforms. However, in the meantime, they have also been struggling to align their management activities to the Reform programme requirements, with limited and varying levels of success. That is primarily due to the degree of complexity of the United Nations as a whole because of its institutional culture, political nature, and the global environmental pressures that the U.N. and all its agencies face today. Therefore, this study argues that United Nations Reform implies the urgency for change. However, change needs to be included as part of the strategy for it to be adequately managed. Organization’s strategic management requires continuous measurement of organizational performance to serve the purpose of reform. Hence, this reform can be reviewed as a management chain of change-strategy-performance-project which can be linked to two ways: integrated and cyclical that allows the organization to improve continuously. It is in this study that all the management components are put together, an integrated view is proposed as the theoretical model, and a Just-in-Time approach is introduced to operationalize the conceptual model in the United Nations context. The results of this study confirm strategic management positively influences in performance management, which positively influences in strategic implementation (project management) through the integration efforts. Statistically, it is well supported by our research model. The results also confirm that the efforts put to minimize the negative influence of political and institutional pressures would lead to achieving a better programme performance in United Nations organizations. Lastly, this study applies the principles of the Just-in-Time notion to United Nations integrated management model in order to achieve optimal results in efficiency and effectiveness.
Why do long distance truck drivers work extremely long hours?

While other research has shown that higher paid truck and bus drivers are safer, this is the first study showing why higher paid drivers are safer. We estimate the labour supply curve for long-haul truck drivers in the United States, applying two-stage least squares regression to a national survey of truck drivers. We start with the standard model of the labour supply curve and then develop two novel extensions of it, incorporating pay level and pay method, and testing the target earnings hypothesis. We distinguish between long-haul and short-haul jobs driving commercial motor vehicles. Truck and bus drivers choose between long-distance jobs requiring very long hours of work away from home and short-distance jobs generally requiring fewer hours. The labour supply curve exhibits a classic backward bending shape, reflecting drivers’ preference to work until they reach target earnings. Above target earnings, at a ‘safe rate’ for truck drivers, they trade labour for leisure, working fewer hours, leading to greater highway safety. Drivers work fewer hours at a higher pay rate and likely have less fatigue. Pay rates also have implications for driver health because worker health deteriorates as working time exceeds 40 hours. JEL Codes: I14, J28, J33, J88, L92, M55
Triplet Energy Transfer between the Primary Donor and Carotenoids in Rhodobacter sphaeroides R‐26.1 Reaction Centers Incorporated with Spheroidene Analogs Having Different Extents of π‐Electron Conjugation

Abstract— Three carotenoids, spheroidene, 3,4‐dihydrospheroidene and 3,4,5,6‐tetrahydrospheroidene, having 8, 9 and 10 conjugated carbon‐carbon double bonds, respectively, were incorporated into Rhodobacter (Rb.) sphaeroides R‐26.1 reaction centers. The extents of binding were found to be 95±5% for spheroidene, 65±5% for 3,4‐dihydrospheroidene and 60±10% for 3,4,5,6‐tetrahydrospheroidene. The dynamics of the triplet states of the primary donor and carotenoid were measured at room temperature by flash absorption spectroscopy. The carotenoid, spheroidene, was observed to quench the primary donor triplet state. The triplet state of spheroidene that was formed subsequently decayed to the ground state with a lifetime of 7.0±0.5 μs. The primary donor triplet lifetime in the Rb. sphaeroides R‐26.1 reaction centers lacking carotenoids was 60±5 μs. Quenching of the primary donor triplet state by the carotenoid was not observed in the Rb. sphaeroides R‐26.1 reaction centers containing 3,4‐dihydrospheroidene nor in the R‐26.1 reaction centers containing 3,4,5,6‐tetrahydrospheroidene. Triplet‐state electron paramagnetic resonance was also carried out on the samples. The experiments revealed carotenoid triple‐state signals in the Rb. sphaeroides R‐26.1 reaction centers incorporated with spheroidene, indicating that the primary donor triplet is quenched by the carotenoid. No carotenoid signals were observed from Rb. sphaeroides R‐26.1 reaction centers incorporating 3,4‐dihydrospheroidene nor in reaction centers incorporating 3,4,5,6‐tetrahydrospheroidene. Circular dichroism, steady‐state absorbance band shifts accompanying the primary photochemistry in the reaction center and singlet energy transfer from the carotenoid to the primary donor confirm that the carotenoids are bound in the reaction centers and interacting with the primary donor. These studies provide a systematic approach to exploring the effects of carotenoid structure and excited state energy on triplet transfer between the primary donor and carotenoids in reaction centers from photosynthetic bacteria.
Nonnative Disulfide Bond Formation Activates the σ32-Dependent Heat Shock Response in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT Formation of nonnative disulfide bonds in the cytoplasm, so-called disulfide stress, is an integral component of oxidative stress. Quantification of the extent of disulfide bond formation in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli revealed that disulfide stress is associated with oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide, paraquat, and cadmium. To separate the impact of disulfide bond formation from unrelated effects of these oxidative stressors in subsequent experiments, we worked with two complementary approaches. We triggered disulfide stress either chemically by diamide treatment of cells or genetically in a mutant strain lacking the major disulfide-reducing systems TrxB and Gor. Studying the proteomic response of E. coli exposed to disulfide stress, we found that intracellular disulfide bond formation is a particularly strong inducer of the heat shock response. Real-time quantitative PCR experiments showed that disulfide stress induces the heat shock response in E. coli σ32 dependently. However, unlike heat shock treatment, which induces these genes transiently, transcripts of σ32-dependent genes accumulated over time in disulfide stress-treated cells. Analyzing the stability of σ32, we found that this constant induction can be attributed to an increase of the half-life of σ32 upon disulfide stress. This is concomitant with aggregation of E. coli proteins treated with diamide. We conclude that oxidative stress triggers the heat shock response in E. coli σ32 dependently. The component of oxidative stress responsible for the induction of heat shock genes is disulfide stress. Nonnative disulfide bond formation in the cytoplasm causes protein unfolding. This stabilizes σ32 by preventing its DnaK- and FtsH-dependent degradation.
Increased Expression of Chemokine KC, an Interleukin-8 Homologue, in a Model of Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the retinal expression of angiogenic chemokines/cytokines in a mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. Methods: C57BL/6 (B6) mice were exposed to 75% oxygen from postnatal day 7 (P7) to P12 and then recovered in room air. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to determine relative mRNA levels of KC, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), interleukin-1α (IL-1α), and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Immunohistochemistry was used to localize KC in the retina. IL-1α was also injected into the vitreous of mouse eyes, and KC expression was examined by RT-PCR, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunohistochemistry. Results: KC expression at both the mRNA and protein levels was increased in P14, P17, and P21 of hyperoxia-injured eyes. KC immunoreactivity was localized along the nerve fiber layer and in radial Müller cell processes. IL-1α mRNA was modestly increased in hyperoxia-injured eyes on P14 and P17. INF-γ mRNA was not detected in the retina. Adult mouse eyes injected with IL-1α demonstrated increased levels of both KC mRNA and protein, with KC immunoreactivity localized to Müller cell processes. Conclusions: Oxygen-induced injury to the developing retina results in the induction of the CXC chemokine KC at both the mRNA and protein levels during the peak time points of neovascularization, suggesting a possible role in the pathogenesis of retinopathy of prematurity.
3D Face Fitting Method Based on 2D Active Appearance Models

Special cameras such as 3D scanners or depth cameras are necessary in recognizing 3D shapes from input faces. In this paper, we propose an efficient face fitting method which is able to fit various faces including any variations of 3D poses (the rotation of X, Y axes) and facial expressions. Our method takes an advantage of 2D Active Appearance Models (AAM) from 2D face images rather than using the depth information measured by special cameras. We first construct an AAM for the variations of the facial expression. Then, we estimate depth information of each land-mark from frontal and side view images. By combining the estimated depth information with AAM, we can fit various 3D transformed faces. Self-occlusions due to the 3D pose variation are also processed by the region weighting function on the normalized face at each frame. Our experimental results show that the proposed method can efficiently fit various faces better than the typical AAM and View-based AAM.
Context analysis in intelligent meeting scene

Context analysis is a crucial issue in dynamic meeting scenarios for online information service and offline semantic information retrieval. Four high-level semantic contexts, that is, "monologue", "presentation", "discussion" and "break", are considered and analyzed in dynamic meeting scenarios in this paper. To characterize four semantic contexts by event fusion and inference, four kinds of group events are considered, such as participant's motion events, speaking events, appearance of person events, and using the projector screen event. Hierarchical dynamic Bayesian networks, which model group events and situation context, are constructed to bridge the gap between physical audio features and semantic concepts. Rao-Blackwellized particle filter is applied for online inference in our hierarchical dynamic Bayesian network. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.