Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutations Affecting Peptidoglycan Acetylation in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis

ABSTRACT Neisseria gonorrhoeae acetylates its cell wall peptidoglycan (PG) at the C-6 position on N-acetylmuramic acid. To understand the effects of PG acetylation on PG metabolism and release of PG fragments, we have made mutations in the genes responsible for PG acetylation. An insertion mutation in a putative PG acetylase gene (designated pacA) resulted in loss of PG acetylation as detected by a high-performance liquid chromatography-based assay. Sequence analysis of a naturally occurring nonacetylating strain revealed the presence of a 26-bp deletion in pacA. Introduction of the deletion mutation into wild-type gonococci resulted in lack of acetylation, and the phenotype was complemented by the addition of a wild-type copy of pacA at a distant location on the chromosome. Mutations were also introduced into three genes downstream of pacA. The gene directly downstream of pacA was required for acetylation and was designated pacB, whereas the next two genes were not required. Sequences highly similar to pacA and pacB were also found in N. meningitidis and N. lactamica strains, and an insertion in the meningococcal pacA eliminated PG acetylation. Phenotypic analyses of an N. gonorrhoeae pacA mutant did not show any decrease in lysozyme resistance or serum resistance, and the release of PG fragments during growth was unchanged. However, purified PG from the wild-type strain was significantly more resistant to the action of human lysozyme than was PG purified from the pacA mutant. Interestingly, the pacA mutant was more sensitive to EDTA, a compound known to trigger autolysis.
Associations between CLCNKA_B tag SNPs with essential hypertension and interactions between genetic and environmental factors in an island population in China

Abstract Objective: Essential hypertension (EH) is known as the result from the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. We selected tag SNPs of CLCNKA_B genes as gene markers, to elucidate the relationship between CLCNKA_B and EH, and to determine the possible interaction among tag SNPs and dietary factors in island of China. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in Changshan islands of China, blood samples of 806 participants were genotyped, and the general characteristics and dietary habits of them were collected. Unconditional logistic regression (ULR) was used to assess the effects of CLCNKA_B tag SNPs and dietary factors on EH. Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) was used to test gene–environment interaction for EH risk. Results: Four SNPs were identified as the tag SNPs of CLCNKA_B. Recessive model for rs5253 and rs2275166 were marginal associated with the decrease risk of EH (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.12–1.07 for rs5253; OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.16–1.05 for rs2275166). In GMDR, the five-factor interaction model of rs1010069, salt, marine products, meat and edible oil consumption was the best model, with a maximum CVC of 10/10 and a TBA of 0.638 (p = 0.001). In ULR, compared with subjects carried wild genotypes and null dietary risk factor, those with three or more dietary risk factors and mutation genotypes had 5.90-fold EH risk (95% CI:2.24–15.53). Conclusion: Though the single loci of tag SNPs of CLCNKA_B are not enough to significantly increase the EH susceptibility, the combination of CLCNKA tag SNP, salt, marine products, meat and edible oil consumption is associated with elevated risk.
Hypocalcemia due to 22q11.2 deletion syndrome diagnosed in adulthood

Summary Chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) is a genetic syndrome that may present with hypocalcemia due to primary hypoparathyroidism (PH) at any age. We report a new diagnosis of 22q11.2DS in a 57-year-old man who presented with symptomatic hypocalcemia. It is important to consider genetic causes of hypocalcemia due to PH regardless of age. Learning points: It is important to discard genetic cause of primary hypoparathyroidism in a patient without autoimmune disease or prior neck surgery. A new diagnosis of a hereditary disease has familial implications and needs genetic counselling. It is also important to discard other syndrome’s comorbidities.
Durability of the anti-erosive effect of surfaces sealants under erosive abrasive conditions

Abstract Objective. To test the durability of sealants applied for prevention of erosive dentine mineral loss under erosive/abrasive conditions. Methods. Forty-eight bovine dentine samples doped with 32P were randomly allocated to four groups (1–4). All samples performed a de- and remineralizations pre-cycling (6 × 1 min erosion in HCl: pH 3.0, mean time and overnight immersion in artificial saliva) for 1 day. Sealing was done as follows; (1) unsealed, (2) Seal & Protect, (3) K-0184 (experimental sealer) and (4) OptiBond FL. After sealing, samples were immersed in HCl for 3 h (baseline measurement). Then, the following erosive/abrasive and remineralisations cycling was performed for 8 days: 3 h/day erosion with HCl, 600 brushing strokes/day and storage in artificial saliva for the rest of the day. Sealer permeability was evaluated by assignation of 32P in the acid used for the erosive attacks. Results. At baseline, the significantly highest dentine loss was observed for the unsealed control group, while the mineral loss was not statistically significantly different between the sealed groups 2 and 3. At all days of the erosive/abrasive and remineralizations cycling and cumulatively the significantly highest mineral loss was observed for group 1, while the significantly lowest mineral loss was observed for the samples sealed with Seal & Protect (group 2) and K-0184 (group 3). In all groups, no significant increase in the 32P release was observed. Conclusion. Surface sealants are able to reduce the erosive dentine mineral loss and maintain this erosion-preventing efficacy over the whole duration (simulating 8 month in-vivo) of the erosive/abrasive cycling.
Cultivation and characterization of human rotaviruses with "super short" RNA patterns

Two group A, subgroup I, rotavirus strains possessing "super short" RNA patterns were adapted to growth in MA-104 cells. Both produced marked cytopathic effect in primary culture. Reciprocal cross-neutralization titers, polypeptide analysis, and the serum neutralizing antibody response of an infected child suggested that super short viruses are serotypically distinct from the four recognized human serotypes.
The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy

This volume is the first ever economics handbook on a single African country focused on the theme of structural transformation. It is intended to serve as a major reference book on the Ethiopian economy for university students, researchers, and policymakers. Part I, covering the period 1890–2017, deals with the transition from a traditional to a modern economy, from the period of Imperial rule under Emperor Haile Selassie, through the Derg regime to the post-1991 government of the EPRDF. Issues including land tenure, ethnic federalism, the constitutional framework, and legal institutions are assessed extensively. Part II deals with economic policies for structural transformation in the post-1991 period, covering topics such as the development of the financial sector, trade and infrastructure policies, poverty reduction strategies, and the focus on green and climate-resilient transformation. Part III focuses on social policy and development, with attention to growth, poverty and inequality, the shifting debate on demography, child nutrition, social protection, education, employment creation, and food security. Part IV examines progress in transforming Ethiopian agriculture and the remaining challenges of upgrading technological innovations to harness the value-added potential of the sector. Part V discusses the processes and policy adaptations undertaken by the government for late industrialization in Ethiopia with special reference to the garment and textile industry. The impact of urbanization on growth and transformation is also considered. Part VI situates the Ethiopian state-led development model in the larger debate of the significance of the East Asian development model to other developing countries such as Ethiopia.
Education and Economic Development in the Selected European Union Countries

This paper has aimed to investigate the education – economic development nexus in the selected European Union (EU) countries during the period of 1997 – 2016. Descriptive statistics analysis and econometric techniques have been applied for this purpose. Research results have revealed statistically significant interrelationships between education and economic growth in majority of the selected countries. However, only Belgium, France, Ireland and United Kingdom have demonstrated causal relationships between the variables under consideration. In these countries the unidirectional causality running from education to economic development has shown that increase in the share of population having tertiary education promotes economic performance. In the remaining countries neither increasing share of tertiary education effects on economic development nor growing real GDP promotes tertiary education of the population. The insights of the research could be useful in achieving the goals for Europe 2020, where tertiary education is highlighted as one of the five measurable targets. Keywords: education, economic development, Granger causality, European Union.
Reflective Journaling for Critical Thinking Development in Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Students.

BACKGROUND Critical thinking, clinical decision making, and critical reflection have been identified as skills required of nurses in every clinical situation. The Educating Nurses: A Call for Radical Transformation report suggested that critical reflection is a key to improving the educational process. Reflective journaling is a tool that helps develop such skills. METHOD This article presents the tool of reflective journaling and the use of this process by educators working with students. It describes the use of reflective journaling in graduate nursing education, as well as a scoring process to evaluate the reflection and provide feedback. RESULTS Students and faculty found the journaling to be helpful for reflection of a clinical situation focused on critical thinking skill development. The rubric scoring tool provided faculty with a method for feedback. CONCLUSION Reflective journaling is a tool that faculty and students can use to develop critical thinking skills for the role of the advanced practice RN. A rubric scoring system offers a consistent format for feedback.
Teaching basic spreadsheet skills with peer tutoring

Knowledge of spreadsheet tools like Microsoft Excel is a valuable skill to have in today’s job market. The preliminary assessment of a group of business school students shows that most of them struggle to perform simple tasks in a spreadsheet. The purpose of this paper is to propose using student tutors to teach these skills. ,The authors identify students proficient in Excel as tutors and organize one-on-one peer tutoring lessons. The authors compare the Excel competency level of students prior to and after the tutoring sessions. ,The results suggest that most students with minimal Excel skills significantly improve their competency level after tutoring. ,The proposed hands-on approach appears to be effective in helping students acquire basic Excel capabilities.
A dual echo approach to removing motion artefacts in fMRI time series

In fMRI, subject motion can severely affect data quality. This is a particular problem when movement is correlated with the experimental paradigm as this potentially causes artefactual activation. A method is presented that uses linear regression, to utilise the time course of an image acquired at very short echo time (TE) as a voxel‐wise regressor for a second image in the same echo train, that is acquired with high BOLD sensitivity. The value of this approach is demonstrated using task‐locked motion combined with visual stimulation. Results obtained at both 1.5 and 3 T show improvements in functional activation maps for individual subjects. The method is straightforward to implement, does not require extra scan time and can easily be embedded in a multi‐echo acquisition framework. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predictors of smoking cessation in patients admitted for acute coronary heart disease

Background Smoking cessation is probably the most important single action after a coronary event. In order to increase the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs, it is important to have knowledge of the predictors of smoking cessation. Further, it is unknown whether smoking cessation programs have impact on these predictors. Methods Data were obtained from a randomized controlled trial of smoking cessation intervention in 240 smokers aged less than 76 years admitted for myocardial infarction, unstable angina, or cardiac bypass surgery. Baseline characteristics were prospectively recorded. Smoking cessation was determined by self report and biochemical verification at 12 months follow-up. Results In multivariate logistic regression analysis, a high level of nicotine addiction, low level of self-confidence in quitting and having previous coronary heart disease were significant negative predictors of smoking cessation at 12 months follow-up. Having previous coronary heart disease and a diagnosis other than acute myocardial infarction as a reason for admission were important negative predictors of abstinence in the usual care group, in contrast to the intervention group, although this did not reach a level of significance in the subgroup interaction analyses. A high level of nicotine addiction was a strong negative predictor in both groups. Conclusion A high level of nicotine addiction is an important negative predictor of smoking cessation, even within an individualized smoking cessation program. Smoking cessation intervention seems to be especially effective in patients with previous coronary heart disease and in patients with unstable angina or coronary artery bypass surgery, compared to usual care.
Phosphorylated Akt Protein at Ser473 Enables HeLa Cells to Tolerate Nutrient-Deprived Conditions

Background: Despite angiogenesis, many tumours remain hypovascular and starved of nutrients while continuing to grow rapidly. The specific biochemical mechanisms associated with starvation resistance, austerity, may be new biological characters of cancer that are critical for cancer progression. Objective: This study aim was to investigate the effect of nutrient starvation on HeLa cells and the possible mechanism by which the cells are able to tolerate nutrient-deprived conditions. Methods: Nutrient starvation was achieved by culturing HeLa cells in nutrient-deprived medium (NDM) and cell survival was estimated by using cell counting kit-8. The effect of starvation on cell cycle distribution and the quantitative analysis of apoptotic cells were investigated by flow cytometry using propidium iodide staining. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of Akt and phosphorylated Akt at Ser473 (Ser473p-Akt) proteins. Results: HeLa cells displayed extremely long survival when cultured in NDM. The percentage of apoptotic HeLa cells was significantly increased by starvation in a time-dependent manner. A significant increase in the expression of Ser473p-Akt protein after starvation was also observed. Furthermore, it was found that Akt inhibitor III molecule inhibited the cells proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Conclusion: Results of the present study provide evidence that Akt activation may be implicated in the tolerance of HeLa cells for nutrient starvation and may help to suggest new therapeutic strategies designed to prevent austerity of cervical cancer cells through inhibition of Akt activation.
Hearing Loss after Spinal and General Anesthesia: A Comparative Study

Hearing loss has been described after spinal anesthesia. We examined the hearing in patients before and after spinal and general anesthesia by pure tone audiometry (LdB: 125-1500 Hz; HdB: 2000–8000 Hz). Tympanic membrane displacement analysis was used to noninvasively monitor the intralabyrinthine and intracranial pressure. Eighteen patients received spinal anesthesia (GSA); 19 patients general anesthesia (GGA). Pure tone audiometry and TMD data were obtained preoperatively (0) and postoperatively on day 1 (1) and 2 (2). The mean threshold differences (&Dgr;) in LdB10 and LdB20 were significantly different in GSA compared with GGA (&Dgr;LdB10 + 0.15 ± 3.07 dB vs −1.34 ± 3.77 dB, P = 0.05; &Dgr;LdB20 −0.54 ± 2.24 dB vs −2.45 ± 3.39 dB, P < 0.01). However, there were no differences in &Dgr;HdB10 between GSA and GGA, but in &Dgr;HdB20 (−1.40 ± 3.95 dB vs −5.12 ± 6.35 dB, P = < 0.01). We found a significant correlation between the magnitude of intraoperative intravascular volume replacement and low-frequency hearing loss. Tympanic membrane displacement values were not different pre- and postoperatively. Hearing was impaired after spinal and general anesthesia. Low-frequency hearing loss was correlated with intraoperative volume replacement. Tympanic membrane recordings did not reveal significant changes. Implications The results of this study imply that hearing loss occurs after spinal as well as after general anesthesia. The positive correlation of low-frequency hearing loss and intraoperative fluid administration replacement suggests that cerebrospinal fluid leakage via the spinal puncture hole is not the only factor involved.
Wavefront amplitude distortion and image sidelobe levels. II. In vivo experiments

For part I, see ibid., vol.40, no.6, p.747-753 (1993). In vivo measurements of the rise of the sidelobe level in a single-source image obtained through the female breast as a function of the distortion of the wavefront amplitude are described. The measured sidelobe levels are the average sidelobe floor (ASF) and the peak sidelobe level (PSL). The ASF is shown to be proportional to the variance of the modulus of the wavefront normalized to the square of its mean value, with a proportionality constant close to the value predicted by theory. The PSL similarly increases linearly. The average ratio of PSL to ASF is 5 (7 dB). <<ETX>>
Polybinary Shaping for Highly-Spectral-Efficient Super-Nyquist WDM QAM Signals

In Super-Nyquist wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) systems, in which WDM channel spacing is smaller than a signal baudrate, there is a tradeoff relationship between the WDM crosstalk and inter-symbol interference due to the tight spectral shaping. For optimizing the tradeoff relationship, polybinary shaping with maximum likelihood sequence estimation is introduced. In this paper, we numerically and experimentally investigate the bit-error rate characteristics of the Super-Nyquist WDM quadrature amplitude modulated signals with polybinary shaping in order to clarify the relationship between the spectral efficiency and required signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). These results indicate that the Super-Nyquist WDM technique based on polybinary shaping is effective to optimize the spectral efficiency for the target required SNR equivalent to the target transmission distance.
Application Specific Bounds on Detection Cost using Game Theory

In some speaker recognition applications the rate of impostor claims will not be known in advance and may in fact be under the control of the impostors. This prevents the implementers of the recognition system from simply choosing an operating point to minimize the detection cost function. We present an analysis of the adversarial game that results from both attacker and defender being able to choose a strategy and show that the system implementers can choose an operating point chosen that in game-theoretic optimal performance and bounds on maximum cost per trial to the implementer. The result also predicts the optimum impostor claim rate that will maximize the impostor's rewards
Pharmacokinetics of gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in rat and dog

1. The pharmacokinetics of gefitinib and its metabolites in rat and dog were investigated in preclinical studies conducted to support the safety evaluation and clinical development of gefitinib, the first EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. 2. Following intravenous dosing (5 mg kg−1), gefitinib plasma half-life was 3–6 h in rats and dogs, although studies using a more sensitive HPLC-MS assay produced longer estimates of half-life (7–14 h). 3. In these studies, plasma clearance was high (male rat: 25 ml min−1 kg−1; female rat: 16 ml min−1 kg−1; male dog: 16 ml min−1 kg−1), as was the volume of distribution (8.0–10.4 l kg−1 in rat; 6.3 l kg−1 in dog), and exposure in female rats was double that in males. 4. Following administration of [14C]-gefitinib, concentrations of radioactivity in plasma exceeded gefitinib throughout the profile, indicating the presence of circulating metabolites in both rat and dog. 5. An HPLC-MS assay was developed to measure concentrations of gefitinib and five potential metabolites in plasma. All five metabolites were detected in the rat, but at levels much lower than gefitinib. In the dog, exposure to gefitinib and M523595 was similar, with much lower concentrations of M537194 and only trace levels of the other metabolites. This profile of metabolites is similar to that observed in man.
Somatostatin enhances insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in the perfused human forearm.

Somatostatin is widely used in experimental metabolic studies to control hormone actions. It has also been suggested that, in addition to its well known suppressive effects, somatostatin per se may increase insulin sensitivity. In order to examine this suggestion, we gave six healthy male volunteers (age 33 +/- 1 yr, mean +/- SEM; body mass index, 24.1 +/- 0.6 kg/m2) either a local intraarterial (brachial artery) or a systemic venous infusion of 25 micrograms/h somatostatin twice. The study consisted of a 1-h basal period and a 2-h systemic hyperinsulinemic (0.4 mU/kg.min) euglycemic clamp. Compared with the systemic control infusion, local forearm perfusion with somatostatin caused a 55% increase in insulin-stimulated forearm glucose uptake (0.74 +/- 0.18 vs. 0.47 +/- 0.19 mmol/L, P < 0.05). Intraarterial somatostatin perfusion did not alter basal forearm glucose uptake (0.14 +/- 0.07 vs. 0.17 +/- 0.12 mmol/L), the amount of glucose administered during the clamp (M-value, 3.2 +/- 0.5 vs. 3.0 +/- 0.6 mg/kg.min), or the levels of insulin, C-peptide, glucagon, or GH. Intermediary metabolite exchange across the forearm, total forearm blood flow, and oxygen saturations also remained stable. Glucose concentrations were slightly higher (0.06 +/- 0.01 mmol/L) in arterial than in arterialized blood, whereas lactate concentrations were comparatively decreased (108 +/- 51 mumol/L) in arterial blood. Our data suggest that somatostatin increases insulin-stimulated muscle utilization of glucose through local mechanisms. Although the nature of this increase remains to be established, it should be taken into consideration in metabolic studies using somatostatin.