Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peripheral refraction and ocular shape in children.

PURPOSE To evaluate the relation between ocular shape and refractive error in children. METHODS Ocular shape was assessed by measuring relative peripheral refractive error (the difference between the spherical equivalent cycloplegic autorefraction 30 degrees in the nasal visual field and in primary gaze) for the right eye of 822 children aged 5 to 14 years participating in the Orinda Longitudinal Study of Myopia in 1995. Axial ocular dimensions were measured by A-scan ultrasonography, crystalline lens radii of curvature by videophakometry, and corneal power by videokeratography. RESULTS Myopic children had greater relative hyperopia in the periphery (+0.80 +/- 1.29 D), indicating a prolate ocular shape (longer axial length than equatorial diameter), compared with relative peripheral myopia and an oblate shape (broader equatorial diameter than axial length) for emmetropes (-0.41 +/- 0.75 D) and hyperopes (-1.09 +/- 1.02 D). Relative peripheral hyperopia was associated with myopic ocular component characteristics: deeper anterior and vitreous chambers, flatter crystalline lenses that were smaller in volume, and steeper corneas. Lens thickness had a more complex association. Relative peripheral hyperopia was associated with thinner lenses between refractive error groups but changed in sign to become associated with thicker lenses when analyzed within each refractive error group. Receiver operator characteristics analysis of the ocular components indicated that vitreous chamber depth was the most important ocular component for characterizing the myopic eye, but that peripheral refraction made a significant independent contribution. CONCLUSIONS The eyes of myopic children were both elongated and distorted into a prolate shape. Thinner crystalline lenses were associated with more hyperopic relative peripheral refractions across refractive error groups, but failure of the lens to thin may account for the association between thicker lenses and more hyperopic relative peripheral refractions within a given refractive group. Increased ciliary-choroidal tension is proposed as a potential cause of ocular distortion in myopic eyes.
Complex Formation of Yeast Rev1 with DNA Polymerase η

ABSTRACT In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Rev1 functions in translesion DNA synthesis (TLS) together with polymerase ζ (Polζ), comprised of the Rev3 catalytic and Rev7 accessory subunits. Rev1 plays an indispensable structural role in promoting Polζ function, and deletion of the Rev1-C terminal region that is involved in physical interactions with Rev3 inactivates Polζ function in TLS. In humans, however, Rev1 has been shown to physically interact with the Y-family polymerases Polη, Polι, and Polκ, and the Rev1 C terminus mediates these interactions. Since all the available genetic and biochemical evidence in yeast support the requirement of Rev1 as a structural element for Polζ and not for Polη, these observations have raised the possibility that in its structural role, Rev1 has diverged between yeast and humans. Here we show that although in yeast a stable Rev1-Polη complex can be formed, this complex formation involves the polymerase-associated domain of Rev1 and not the Rev1 C terminus as in humans. We also found that the DNA synthesis activity of Rev1 is enhanced in this complex. We discuss the implications of these and other observations for the possible divergence of Rev1's structural role between yeast and humans.
Life Expectancy after Initiation of Combination Antiretroviral Therapy in Thailand

Background Access to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has decreased mortality in HIV-positive people. We aimed to estimate the expected additional years of life in HIV-positive Thai people after starting cART through the National AIDS Program (NAP), administered by the Thai National Health Security Office (NHSO). Methods The NHSO database collects characteristics of all Thai HIV-infected patients through the National AIDS Program, including linkage with the National Death Registry for vital status. This study included patients aged ≥15 years at cART initiation between 2008 and 2014. The abridged life table method was used to construct life tables stratified by sex and baseline CD4+ T-cell count. Life expectancy was defined as the additional years of life from age at starting cART. Results 201,688 eligible patients were included in analyses, contributing 618,837 person-years of follow-up. Median CD4+ T-cell count was 109 cells/mm3 and median age 37 years. The overall life expectancy after cART initiation at age 20 was 25.4 (95% CI, 25.3, 25.6) years and 20.6 (95% CI, 20.5, 20.7) at age 35 years. Life expectancy at baseline CD4+ T-cell count ≥350 cells/mm3 was 51.9 (95% CI, 51.0, 52.9) years for age 20 years and 43.2 (95% CI, 42.4, 44.1) years for age 35 years, close to life expectancy in the general Thai population. Conclusions Increasing life expectancy with higher baseline CD4+ T-cell counts supports the guideline recommendations to start cART irrespective of CD4+ T-cell count. These results are beneficial to forecast the treatment cost and develop health policies for people living with HIV in Thailand and Asia.
The Structure of the Core of the Spiral Wave in the Belousov-Zhabotinskii Reaction

The quantitative structure of the core of the spiral-shaped traveling wave of chemical activity appearing in a thin excitable layer of the Belousov-Zhabotinskii reaction, in which the oxidation and decarboxylation of malonic acid by bromate ions is catalyzed by ferroin, was analyzed experimentally. Light absorption by ferroin as the reduced reaction catalyst and indicator was measured by means of a video-and computer-based two-dimensional spectrophotometer with 10-micrometer spatial, 2-second temporal, and 256-digital units intensity resolution. The spiral core is a singular site (diameter, 30 micrometers or less) at which intensity modulations due to ferroin-ferriin distributions are at least ten times smaller than in the surrounding area of spiral propagation. Archimedian spirals were fitted to isoconcentration lines.
Clinical trials integrity: A CRO perspective

When contract research organizations (CROs) were first formed, pharmaceutical companies outsourced to them only certain aspects of the conduct of their clinical trials. At first CROs were highly specialized entities, providing, for example, either biostatistical advice, clinical research associates who monitored investigational sites for regulatory compliance, or regulatory support. Gradually, full service CROs emerged, offering a full range of services for clinical trials, including the selection of investigators and investigational sites, assistance with patient recruitment, safety surveillance and reporting, site audits, and data management and biostatistics. This evolving relationship between CROs and the pharmaceutical and medical device industries has resulted in CROs assuming more and more of the regulatory and ethical risks and responsibilities inherent in the conduct of clinical trials. In this full service role, CROs, unlike sponsors, are not interested in the outcome of study, but like sponsors, are subject to heavy regulation by the federal government, must follow applicable state laws, must respect international guidelines, and are obliged to follow their own operating procedures. Moreover, they are judged by the industry on the basis of the scope and quality of services provided, including the degree of adherence to the research protocol, regulatory requirements, and timelines; the quality of the professional working relationships with investigators and institutions, both academic and community-based; and the validity of the data. Further, CROs are subject to comprehensive audits by sponsoring companies, FDA, and other regulatory authorities. For all these reasons, CROs are being tasked with strict vigilance of all stages of the clinical trial process to ensure that the laws, regulations, and industry standards designed for the protection of human subjects and data integrity are maintained.
The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease and medial arterial calcification in patients with chronic renal failure: requirements for diagnostics.

BACKGROUND Knowledge of the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) is limited because of a lack of uniformity in disease definition and recognition. Furthermore, little is known of the prevalence of medial arterial calcification (MAC) in patients with CRF. Our goal is to study the prevalence of PAD and MAC defined by ankle brachial index (ABI) or toe brachial index (TBI) measurements in a Finnish population of patients with CRF consisting of predialysis and dialysis patients, as well as renal transplant recipients. METHODS We examined 136 patients with CRF and 59 control subjects. Fifty-nine of the patients with CRF had moderate to severe predialysis CRF, 36 patients were on dialysis treatment, and 41 were renal transplant recipients. Mean age of patients was 51.9 +/- 11.5 years, and 39 patients (29%) had diabetes. ABI and TBI were measured by means of photoplethysmography. The definition of PAD required an ABI value of 0.90 or less, a TBI value of 0.60 or less, or a previous positive lower-extremity angiogram result. ABI values of 1.3 or greater or incompressible arteries at ankle level indicated MAC. The presence of claudication was determined by an interview. RESULTS Prevalences of PAD on this study were 22.0% in patients with predialysis CRF, 30.6% in patients on dialysis treatment, 14.6% in renal transplant recipients, and 1.7% in the control group (P = 0.001). Prevalences of MAC were 23.7%, 41.7%, 23.1%, and 3.4% (P < 0.001), respectively. Only 9 patients had claudication, and 6 of those patients had PAD. CONCLUSION Both asymptomatic PAD and MAC are common in patients with CRF. Therefore, we recommend the use of both ABI and TBI measurements in the evaluation of PAD in patients with CRF.
Linear Time Algorithm for Tree t-spanner in Outerplanar Graphs via Supply-Demand Partition in Trees

A t-stretch spanning tree (tree t-spanner) T of a graph G is a spanning tree such that the distance between any two vertices in T is at most t times their distance in G. Given a graph G and an integer t ≥ 2, the tree t-spanner problem decides the existence of a tree t-spanner in G. We solve the tree t-spanner in outerplanar graphs with the introduction of the S-partition problem in graphs which is defined as follows: given a graph G, a weight function w : V (G) → N, a set S ⊆ V (G) of special vertices, and an integer t, decide whether there exists a partition of V (G) into V1, . , V|S| such that for 1 ≤ i ≤ |S|, G[Vi] is connected, Vi contains exactly one vertex from S and cost of Vi, which is the sum of weights of vertices in Vi, is at most t. We then present a linear-time reduction from tree t-spanner in outerplanar graphs to supply-demand partition in trees by using S-partition in trees as an intermediate problem. As a consequence, we obtain a linear-time algorithm for tree t-spanner in outerplanar graphs.
Worker reproduction and social hierarchies in
 Leptothorax
 ants

Kin selection theory predicts the existence of potential conflict between queen and workers and among workers concerning the production of males in insect societies with a single, once-mated queen. We investigated the occurrence of reproductive conflict and worker reproduction in both single- and multi-queen colonies of 10 species of the ant genus LeptothoraxIn contrast to previous observations in related species, workers only infrequently engaged in aggressive interactions and did not lay large numbers of eggs in colonies containing queens. Allozyme analyses of queens, workers and males suggest that the contribution of workers to the males produced in colonies with queens is indeed minimal, at least in L. unifasciatusWhen the queens died or were experimentally removed from the colonies, in most species dominance interactions among workers became significantly more frequent and one or several high-ranking workers started to lay eggs. Workers with an increased number of ovarioles per ovary apparently had a reproductive advantage over workers with normal ovaries.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour
The Halo Effect in Multi-component Ratings and its Implications for Recommender Systems : The Case of Yahoo ! Movies

Collaborative filtering algorithms learn from the ratings of a group of users on a set of items to find personalized recommendations for each user. Traditionally they have been designed to work with one dimensional ratings. With interest growing in recommending based on multiple aspects of items (Adomavicius and Kwon 2007, Adomavicius and Tuzhilin 2005) we present an algorithm for using multi-component rating data. The presented mixture model based algorithm uses the component rating dependency structure discovered by a structure learning algorithm. The structure is supported by the psychometric literature on the halo effect. This algorithm is compared with a set of model based and instance based algorithms for single-component ratings and their variations for multi-component ratings. We evaluate the algorithms using data from Yahoo! Movies. Use of multiple components leads to significant improvements in recommendations. However, we find that the choice of algorithm depends on the sparsity of the training data. It also depends on whether the task of the algorithm is to accurately predict ratings or retrieve relevant items. In our experiments a model based multi-component rating algorithm is able to better retrieve items when training data is sparse. However, if the training data is not sparse, or if we are trying to predict the rating values accurately then the instance based multi-component rating collaborative filtering algorithms perform better. Beyond generating recommendations we show that the proposed model can fill-in missing rating components. Theories in psychometric literature and the empirical evidence suggest that rating specific aspects of a subject is difficult. Hence, filling in the missing component values leads to the possibility of a rater support system to facilitate gathering of multi-component ratings.
Managing oral hygiene as a risk factor for periodontal disease: a systematic review of psychological approaches to behaviour change for improved plaque control in periodontal management.

BACKGROUND Plaque control in patients with periodontal disease is critically dependent upon self-care through specific oral hygiene-related behaviours. OBJECTIVES To determine the relationship between adherence to oral hygiene instructions in adult periodontal patients and psychological constructs. To determine the effect of interventions based on psychological constructs on oral health-related behaviour in adult periodontal patients. DATA SOURCES The Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS Studies were grouped according to the study design, and appraised using an appropriate methodology, either the Newcastle-Ottawa assessment for observational studies, or the Cochrane criteria for trials. RESULTS Fifteen reports of studies were identified. LIMITATIONS There was a low risk of bias identified for the observational studies. Older trials suffered from high risk of bias, but more recent trials had low risk of bias. However, the specification of the psychological intervention was generally poor. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF KEY FINDINGS The use of goal setting, self-monitoring and planning are effective interventions for improving oral hygiene-related behaviour in patients with periodontal disease. Understanding the benefits of behaviour change and the seriousness of periodontal disease are important predictors of the likelihood of behaviour change.
Three trans-acting regulatory proteins of herpes simplex virus modulate immediate-early gene expression in a pathway involving positive and negative feedback regulation

trans-Acting regulatory components of herpes simplex virus were studied in a transient assay system by the analysis of expression of recombinant constructs which contain virus delayed-early (DE) or immediate-early (IE) upstream promoter-regulatory regions linked to the bacterial gene for chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT). These recombinant CAT constructs were cotransfected into Vero cell cultures together with intact genes for the IE175K protein, the IE110K protein, or the late component, Vmw65. We demonstrate specific functional interactions between the trans-acting factors and their appropriate cis-acting regulatory signals. Thus, the IE175K protein stimulated expression only from the DE-CAT constructs, and the late Vmw65 protein stimulated expression only from the IE-CAT construct. Unexpectedly, however, the IE110K protein stimulated expression from both DE- and IE-CAT constructs. Furthermore, the IE175K protein inhibited both basal levels and IE110K- or Vmw65-activated levels of expression from its own promoter-regulatory region in the IE-CAT construct. These results provide direct evidence for a negative autoregulatory role of IE175K protein on its own expression at the transcriptional level and demonstrate differences in functional properties of the IE175K and IE110K proteins, which we speculate may reflect different mechanisms of action of the two proteins.
The impact of overactive bladder, stress and mixed urinary incontinence on quality of life in Thai postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE To assess the quality of life (QOL) of Thai postmenopausal women with overactive bladder (OAB), stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI). MATERIAL AND METHOD A total of 420 Thai postmenopausal women (120 had SUI, 60 MUI, 120 OAB and 120 controls) were recruited QOL was assessed by the Thai version short form 36 (SF-36). RESULTS There was no significant difference in the patients's characteristics. All domains of SF-36 in women with OAB, SUI and MUI were statistically significantly lower than the control group. OAB and MUI had lower SF-36 scores than SUI in all domains except the role of physical health. When compared between OAB and MUI, the women with MUI had lower SF-36 scores than OAB in all domains (except the physical functioning and general health). CONCLUSION OAB, SUI and MUI had more significant impaired QOL than control. The author found a greater impact on QUL in OAB and MUI in Thai postmenopausal women.
The Incidence of Metamizole Sodium-Induced Agranulocytosis in Poland

Metamizole sodium continues to be used extensively as an analgesic in Poland. This study was the first undertaken to quantify the incidence of agranulocytosis associated with metamizole sodium in Poland, and to compare the findings with those from other countries. Based on data obtained retrospectively from medical records covering the period 1997–2001 in six haematology centres representative of Poland as a whole, the crude estimate obtained was a rate of 0.2 cases per million person-days of use. This is the same order of magnitude as the value from an epidemiological study covering several countries (0.3–4.0). W Polsce w dalszym ciągu na dużą skalę stosuje się sól sodową metamizolu jako lek przciwbólowy. Przeprowadzone badanie było pierwsżą próbą ilościowego ustalenia związku pomiędzy wystąpieniem nowych przypadków agranulocytozy a stosowaniem soli sodowej metamizolu w Polsce í porównania rezultatów badania z wynikami uzyskanymi w innych krajach. Na podstawie danych uzyskanych retrospektywnie, z historii chorób obejmujących okres 1997–2001 z sześciu ośrodków hematologicznych będących reprezentacyjnymi dla calej Polski, uzyskana surowa ocena wynosiła 0.2 przypadki na milion osobo/dni stosowania. Otrzymany rząd wielkości mieśći się w dolnym zakresie wyników badań epidemiologicznych w innych krajach (0.3–4.0).
The contribution of low‐affinity transport mechanisms to serotonin clearance in synaptosomes

Although many studies assert that the serotonin (5‐HT) transporter (SERT) is the predominant mechanism controlling extracellular 5‐HT concentrations, accumulating evidence suggests that low affinity, high capacity transport mechanisms may contribute more to 5‐HT clearance than previously thought. The goal of this study was to quantify the contributions of SERT relative to other mechanisms in clearing extracellular 5‐HT concentrations ranging from 50 nM to 1 μM in synaptosomes prepared from wild‐type and SERT knockout mice using rotating disk electrode voltammetry. SERT inhibitors combined with decynium‐22 (D‐22), a blocker of several low‐affinity transporters, blocked all uptake of 5‐HT into synaptosomes. We found that SERT is responsible for the majority of synaptosomal uptake only at relatively low 5‐HT concentrations, but comprises a diminishing proportion of 5‐HT clearance when extracellular 5‐HT increases above 100 nM. The effect of D‐22 was similar in wild‐type and SERT knockout synaptosomes. Thus, there was no evidence of upregulation of low‐affinity mechanisms in knockout mice across the concentrations of 5‐HT tested. These are surprising results, in light of the prevailing view that SERT is the primary uptake mechanism for extracellular 5‐HT at physiological concentrations. We conclude that non‐SERT mediated 5‐HT uptake is substantial even at modest 5‐HT concentrations. These findings, in conjunction with other studies, have important implications for understanding serotonergic disorders and may explain the variable efficacy and stability of patients' responses to antidepressants, such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. © Synapse, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Review of Changes in Composition of Hot Mix Asphalt in the United States

This review researched the materials, methods, and practices in the hot mix asphalt industry that might impact future exposure assessments and epidemiologic research on road paving workers. Since World War II, the U.S. interstate highway system, increased traffic volume, transportation speeds, and vehicle axle loads have necessitated an increase in demand for hot mix asphalt for road construction and maintenance, while requiring a consistent road paving product that meets state-specific physical performance specifications. We reviewed typical practices in hot mix asphalt paving in the United States to understand the extent to which materials are and have been added to hot mix asphalt to meet specifications and how changes in practices and technology could affect evaluation of worker exposures for future research. Historical documents were reviewed, and industry experts from 16 states were interviewed to obtain relevant information on industry practices. Participants from all states reported additive use, with most being less than 2% by weight. Crumb rubber and recycled asphalt pavement were added in concentrations approximately 10% per unit weight of the mix. The most frequently added materials included polymers and anti-stripping agents. Crumb rubber, sulfur, asbestos, roofing shingles, slag, or fly ash have been used in limited amounts for short periods of time or in limited geographic areas. No state reported using coal tar as an additive to hot mix asphalt or as a binder alternative in hot mix pavements for high-volume road construction. Coal tar may be present in recycled asphalt pavement from historical use, which would need to be considered in future exposure assessments of pavers. Changes in hot mix asphalt production and laydown emission control equipment have been universally implemented over time as the technology has become available to reduce potential worker exposures. This work is a companion review to a study undertaken in the petroleum refining sector that investigated current and historical use of additives in producing petroleum-derived asphalt cements.