Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Response to a mobile health decision-support system for screening and management of tobacco use.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To describe the predictors of nurse actions in response to a mobile health decision-support system (mHealth DSS) for guideline-based screening and management of tobacco use. DESIGN Observational design focused on an experimental arm of a randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Acute and ambulatory care settings in the New York City metropolitan area. SAMPLE 14,115 patient encounters in which 185 RNs enrolled in advanced practice nurse (APN) training were prompted by an mHealth DSS to screen for tobacco use and select guideline-based treatment recommendations. METHODS Data were entered and stored during nurse documentation in the mHealth DSS and subsequently stored in the study database where they were retrieved for analysis using descriptive statistics and logistic regressions. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES Predictor variables included patient gender, patient race or ethnicity, patient payer source, APN specialty, and predominant payer source in clinical site. Dependent variables included the number of patient encounters in which the nurse screened for tobacco use, provided smoking cessation teaching and counseling, or referred patients for smoking cessation for patients who indicated a willingness to quit. FINDINGS Screening was more likely to occur in encounters where patients were female, African American, and received care from a nurse in the adult nurse practitioner specialty or in a clinical site in which the predominant payer source was Medicare, Medicaid, or State Children's Health Insurance Program. In encounters where the patient payer source was other, nurses were less likely to provide tobacco cessation teaching and counseling. CONCLUSIONS mHealth DSS has the potential to affect nurse provision of guideline-based care. However, patient, nurse, and setting factors influence nurse actions in response to an mHealth DSS for tobacco cessation. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING The combination of a reminder to screen and integration of guideline-based recommendations into the mHealth DSS may reduce racial or ethnic disparities to screening, as well as clinician barriers related to time, training, and familiarity with resources.
Petrography mineralogy and geochemistry of the rock formations of the Zululand Basin based on borehole NZA

The drill core of borehole NZA, drilled in the southwest margin of the onshore Zululand Basin to a depth of ca. 571 m was investigated in this study. In this thesis descriptions of the geochemistry, mineralogy and physical properties of major lithofacies of the NZA drill core are followed by an interpretation of the suitability of NZA rock units for injection of carbon dioxide (CO2). A representative NZA sandstone was subjected to reaction with super critical (sc)CO2 and water under reservoir conditions for two weeks to gain insight into the effects of rock-CO2 interactions on rock porosity. Rock porosity was estimated by petrographic study for clastic sedimentary rocks of NZA. Petrographic study served to identify major lithofacies associations of the NZA drill core, as well as the depositional environments; interpreted after studying primary sedimentary structures, chemistry and biogenic features. Trends within the lithofacies were used to discriminate various formations of the Zululand Group observed in the NZA drill core. The Zululand Group rocks of the NZA drill core were generally deposited in a shallow shelf environment, while the pyroclastic rocks of the Fenda Formation identified in the drill core were deposited in a subaerial volcanic environment. Calcareous sandstones, greywackes, coquina limestone, beachrock, lapilli-stone, lapilli-tuff, tuff-breccia and tuff were identified as the major lithofacies of the NZA drill core and are consistent with literature data. Major element XRF results and mineralogical results formed an integral role in investigating the chemistry and its effects on the mineralogy of the NZA drill core’s rocks. Major element analysis was further utilised for discriminating tectonic setting and provenance of siliciclastic rocks. From geochemical data the source area of the Zululand Group sedimentary rocks of the NZA core is consistent with the inferred continental rift setting for the Zululand Basin. The provenance of the NZA drill core’s siliciclastic rocks is consistent with chemically immature terrigenous detritus, sourced from the proximal Lebombo Group volcanic rocks. Borehole NZA was drilled to a relatively shallow depth which is insufficient, when considering its use for geological storage of CO2. Furthermore, the low porosity of ca. 1-2 %, identified in the rock samples suggests low storage potential. Dissolution after CO2 injection may significantly increase porosity after reaction with scCO2 while rock stability could be severely compromised due to dissolution of carbonates. Lastly, lithologies of the NZA drill core do not correlate well with the adjacent ZA, ZB and ZC drill core lithologies; thus the NZA borehole is a seemingly unsuitable site for geological storage of CO2 as CCS technology requires lateral continuity of suitable rock packages. Further study of the chemistry and physical properties of the ZA, ZB and ZC drill core could reveal a suitable site for injection of CO2 in the onshore Zululand Basin. 2 © University of Pretoria
The interferons: Biological effects, mechanisms of action, and use in multiple sclerosis

Recombinant human interferon (IFN)-P Ib (Betaseron) was recently approved for exacerbating-remitting ambulatory multiple sclerosis (MS) patients based on the result of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial [l, 2). The Betaseron Study Group reported that Betaseron resulted in fewer exacerbations, fewer severe exacerbations, and less progression of T2 signal abnormality seen on yearly magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. As a result of this and prior clinical studies, IFNs will potentially assume a prominent role in the treatment of MS. We have emphasized current information on the immunologic and molecular effects of the IFNs for a better understanding of how IFN may affect MS pathogenesis.
Supplemental Information Transcriptional Dominance of Pax7 in Adult Myogenesis Is Due to High-Affinity Recognition of Homeodomain Motifs

Vahab D. Soleimani, Vincent G. Punch, Yoh-ichi Kawabe, Andrew E. Jones, Gareth A. Palidwor, Christopher J. Porter, Joe W. Cross, Jaime J. Carvajal, Christel E.M. Kockx, Wilfred F.J. van IJcken, Theodore J. Perkins, Peter W.J. Rigby, Frank Grosveld, and Michael A. Rudnicki INVENTORY OF SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
The S box regulon: a new global transcription termination control system for methionine and cysteine biosynthesis genes in Gram‐positive bacteria

The molecular mechanisms for regulation of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of methionine and cysteine are poorly characterized in Bacillus subtilis. Analyses of the recently completed B. subtilis genome revealed 11 copies of a highly conserved motif. In all cases, this motif was located in the leader region of putative transcriptional units, upstream of coding sequences that included genes involved in methionine or cysteine biosynthesis. Additional copies were identified in Clostridium acetobutylicum and Staphylococcus aureus, indicating conservation in other Gram‐positive genera. The motif includes an element resembling an intrinsic transcriptional terminator, suggesting that regulation might be controlled at the level of premature termination of transcription. The 5′ portion of all of the leaders could fold into a conserved complex structure. Analysis of the yitJ gene, which is homologous to Escherichia coli metH and metF, revealed that expression was induced by starvation for methionine and that induction was independent of the promoter and dependent on the leader region terminator. Mutation of conserved primary sequence and structural elements supported a model in which the 5′ portion of the leader forms an anti‐antiterminator structure, which sequesters sequences required for the formation of an antiterminator, which, in turn, sequesters sequences required for the formation of the terminator; the anti‐antiterminator is postulated to be stabilized by the binding of some unknown factor when methionine is available. This set of genes is proposed to form a new regulon controlled by a global termination control system, which we designate the S box system, as most of the genes are involved in sulphur metabolism and biosynthesis of methionine and cysteine.
Bioecology and Vectorial Capacity of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Macao, China, in Relation to Dengue Virus Transmission

Abstract Until 2001, the Chinese Territory of Macao had not registered any autochthonous dengue cases, despite the abundance of Aedes albopictus (Skuse), a known vector. This work describes a bioecological characterization of the local Ae. albopictus adult population, with the purpose of estimating the receptivity of Macao to dengue introduction. In the wet seasons of 1997 and 1998 and the dry season of 1998, Ae. albopictus was the most abundant human-biting mosquito. Daily biting rates of 314 mosquitoes per person were recorded in the wet season with a reduction to 94 in the dry season. Ae. albopictus was mainly exophagic and exophilic and had a human blood index of 44%. The parity rate of field-collected mosquitoes was 57%. Daily survival rate ranged from 91 to 97%. Estimates of vectorial capacity ranged from 144 to 880, depending on what parameter values were used. These estimates indicated a great receptivity for the introduction of dengue viruses, as the 2001 outbreak came to prove.
Human SWI/SNF-Associated PRMT5 Methylates Histone H3 Arginine 8 and Negatively Regulates Expression of ST7 and NM23 Tumor Suppressor Genes

ABSTRACT Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) have been implicated in transcriptional activation and repression, but their role in controlling cell growth and proliferation remains obscure. We have recently shown that PRMT5 can interact with flag-tagged BRG1- and hBRM-based hSWI/SNF chromatin remodelers and that both complexes can specifically methylate histones H3 and H4. Here we report that PRMT5 can be found in association with endogenous hSWI/SNF complexes, which can methylate H3 and H4 N-terminal tails, and show that H3 arginine 8 and H4 arginine 3 are preferred sites of methylation by recombinant and hSWI/SNF-associated PRMT5. To elucidate the role played by PRMT5 in gene regulation, we have established a PRMT5 antisense cell line and determined by microarray analysis that more genes are derepressed when PRMT5 levels are reduced. Among the affected genes, we show that suppressor of tumorigenicity 7 (ST7) and nonmetastatic 23 (NM23) are direct targets of PRMT5-containing BRG1 and hBRM complexes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that expression of ST7 and NM23 is reduced in a cell line that overexpresses PRMT5 and that this decrease in expression correlates with H3R8 methylation, H3K9 deacetylation, and increased transformation of NIH 3T3 cells. These findings suggest that the BRG1- and hBRM-associated PRMT5 regulates cell growth and proliferation by controlling expression of genes involved in tumor suppression.
Which drugs cause preventable admissions to hospital? A systematic review.

AIMS Previous systematic reviews have found that drug-related morbidity accounts for 4.3% of preventable hospital admissions. None, however, has identified the drugs most commonly responsible for preventable hospital admissions. The aims of this study were to estimate the percentage of preventable drug-related hospital admissions, the most common drug causes of preventable hospital admissions and the most common underlying causes of preventable drug-related admissions. METHODS Bibliographic databases and reference lists from eligible articles and study authors were the sources for data. Seventeen prospective observational studies reporting the proportion of preventable drug-related hospital admissions, causative drugs and/or the underlying causes of hospital admissions were selected. Included studies used multiple reviewers and/or explicit criteria to assess causality and preventability of hospital admissions. Two investigators abstracted data from all included studies using a purpose-made data extraction form. RESULTS From 13 papers the median percentage of preventable drug-related admissions to hospital was 3.7% (range 1.4-15.4). From nine papers the majority (51%) of preventable drug-related admissions involved either antiplatelets (16%), diuretics (16%), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (11%) or anticoagulants (8%). From five studies the median proportion of preventable drug-related admissions associated with prescribing problems was 30.6% (range 11.1-41.8), with adherence problems 33.3% (range 20.9-41.7) and with monitoring problems 22.2% (range 0-31.3). CONCLUSIONS Four groups of drugs account for more than 50% of the drug groups associated with preventable drug-related hospital admissions. Concentrating interventions on these drug groups could reduce appreciably the number of preventable drug-related admissions to hospital from primary care.
Factors relating to terminally ill cancer patients' willingness to continue living at home during the early phase of home care after discharge from clinical cancer centers in Japan

Objective: To assess the willingness of Japanese terminally ill cancer patients to continue living at home during the early phase of home care after discharge from a Clinical Cancer Center (CCC) in Japan, and to identify factors relating to their willingness to continue living at home. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of a convenient sample of both Japanese terminally ill cancer patients and their caregivers (PFCs) was conducted (n = 294, effective response rate 25.0%). Questionnaires were mailed and medical records were accessed for 73 pairs of respondents, comprising one terminally ill cancer patient and one PFC. Results: At about 10 days after discharge, 64 patients (88%) wished to continue living at home. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was performed on the data. It was found that the fewer the medical treatments undergone (OR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05–0.72), the higher the patients' perception that their condition was consistent with care at home (OR = 2.77, 95% CI: 1.08–8.62) and with their functional well-being (OR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.08–2.17). In addition, the higher the caregivers' satisfaction with life (OR = 2.37, 95% CI: 1.15–5.77), the more willing patients tended to be to continue living at home. Significant of results: The willingness of Japanese terminally ill cancer patients to continue living at home appears to be affected by caregiver status. This indicates a need for discharging facilities to monitor the state of home assistance and to investigate the nature of assistance required for continuing home care.
ATR and Rad17 collaborate in modulating Rad9 localisation at sites of DNA damage

The cell cycle checkpoint kinase Chk1 is phosphorylated and activated by ATR in response to DNA damage and is crucial for initiating the DNA damage response. A number of factors act in concert with ATR to facilitate Chk1 phosphorylation, including Rad17-RFC, the Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 complex, TopBP1 and Claspin. Rad17 is required for loading of Rad9-Rad1-Hus1 (9-1-1) onto sites of DNA damage. Although phosphorylation of Rad17 by ATR is required for checkpoint function, how this affects 9-1-1 regulation remains unclear. We report that exposure of cells to DNA damage or replication stress results in Rad17-dependent immobilisation of Rad9 into nuclear foci. Furthermore, expression of mutant Rad17 that cannot be phosphorylated by ATR (Rad17AA), or downregulation of ATR, results in a decreased number of cells that display Rad9 foci. Photobleaching experiments reveal an increase in the dynamic behaviour of Rad9 within remaining foci in the absence of ATR or following expression of Rad17AA. Together, these data suggest a model in which Rad17 and ATR collaborate in regulating Rad9 localisation and association at sites of DNA damage.
From Building Control to Eco-Feedback: Opportunities and Challenges

In recent years a number of organizations have experimented control systems for monitoring the environmental parameters of complex buildings, with the goal of improving well-being, optimizing management costs. These solutions are often characterized by sophisticated, costly technologies that allow to monitor the situation even from remote desks, take proper actions whenever any parameter fails to comply with management constraints. Unfortunately in many cases the availability of these control infrastructures doesn't allow people inhabiting buildings to gain awareness about the environmental parameters or the consumption issues related to these spaces. Eco-feedback techniques, which can lead to significant savings through the feedback given to users, can't be properly applied. The control systems often lack functionalities for communicating with users, creating a social awareness related to energy consumption issues. This paper analyzes one of these systems, designed for a modern University campus, with the goal of understanding its points of strength, weaknesses. The paper describes also how the results of this analysis have been used for the design of a pilot eco-feedback system, that features a context-aware mobile app for creating a bi-directional communication between users, backend.
Wireless Energy Harvesting in a Cognitive Relay Network

Wireless energy harvesting is regarded as a promising energy supply alternative for energy-constrained wireless networks. In this paper, a new wireless energy harvesting protocol is proposed for an underlay cognitive relay network with multiple primary user (PU) transceivers. In this protocol, the secondary nodes can harvest energy from the primary network (PN) while sharing the licensed spectrum of the PN. In order to assess the impact of different system parameters on the proposed network, we first derive an exact expression for the outage probability for the secondary network (SN) subject to three important power constraints: 1) the maximum transmit power at the secondary source (SS) and at the secondary relay (SR); 2) the peak interference power permitted at each PU receiver; and 3) the interference power from each PU transmitter to the SR and to the secondary destination (SD). To obtain practical design insights into the impact of different parameters on successful data transmission of the SN, we derive throughput expressions for both the delay-sensitive and the delay-tolerant transmission modes. We also derive asymptotic closed-form expressions for the outage probability and the delay-sensitive throughput and an asymptotic analytical expression for the delay-tolerant throughput as the number of PU transceivers goes to infinity. The results show that the outage probability improves when PU transmitters are located near SS and sufficiently far from SR and SD. Our results also show that when the number of PU transmitters is large, the detrimental effect of interference from PU transmitters outweighs the benefits of energy harvested from the PU transmitters.
Real-time 6-DOF Vessel-to-Vessel Motion Compensation using laser tracker

The industry state-of-the-art offshore motion compensation is today carried out by offshore cranes equipped with Active Heave Compensation (AHC) systems, meaning that a hanging load is positioned at a certain height above the seafloor, even though the floating vessel carrying both the crane and the load is moving due to wave disturbances. Lately, there has been an increased interest among the industry also to compensate for the movement of a secondary vessel, which indicates that a more detailed investigation of the Vessel-to-Vessel Motion Compensation (VVMC) problem is required. The primary motivation for such compensation technique is influenced by the demand for load transfer between ships during harsh weather conditions, service on floating wind turbines and fish farms, and the transportation of personnel and equipment safely between two floating vessels, for instance. In this paper, the capability of the Leica AT960 laser tracker to measure the relative position and orientation between the two moving Stewart platforms simulating the vessels movement at sea is investigated. The acquired measurements are used to carry out a real-time VVMC using the experimental lab setup in the Norwegian Motion Laboratory at the University of Agder. The obtained experimental results and motion compensation effectiveness are quantified in terms of the accuracy and real-time performance.
Diabetes Causes Bone Marrow Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction by Activation of the RhoA–Rho-Associated Kinase Signaling Pathway

Objective—Diabetes mellitus causes bone marrow (BM) microangiopathy. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms responsible for BM endothelial dysfunction in diabetes mellitus. Methods and Results—The analysis of differentially expressed transcripts in BM endothelial cells (BMECs) from type-1 diabetic and nondiabetic mice showed an effect of diabetes mellitus on signaling pathways controlling cell death, migration, and cytoskeletal rearrangement. Type-1 diabetic-BMECs displayed high reactive oxygen species levels, increased expression and activity of RhoA and its associated protein kinases Rho-associated kinase 1/Rho-associated kinase 2, and reduced Akt phosphorylation/activity. Likewise, diabetes mellitus impaired Akt-related BMEC functions, such as migration, network formation, and angiocrine factor-releasing activity, and increased vascular permeability. Moreover, high glucose disrupted BMEC contacts through Src tyrosine kinase phosphorylation of vascular endothelial cadherin. These alterations were prevented by constitutively active Akt (myristoylated Akt), Rho-associated kinase inhibitor Y-27632, and Src inhibitors. Insulin replacement restored BMEC abundance, as assessed by flow cytometry analysis of the endothelial marker MECA32, and endothelial barrier function in BM of type-1 diabetic mice. Conclusion—Redox-dependent activation of RhoA/Rho-associated kinase and Src/vascular endothelial cadherin signaling pathways, together with Akt inactivation, contribute to endothelial dysfunction in diabetic BM. Metabolic control is crucial for maintenance of endothelial cell homeostasis and endothelial barrier function in BM of diabetic mice.
Simulation of Airborne Radar Observations of Precipitating Systems at Various Frequency Bands

This paper addresses the question of the most efficient couple (f, θ3dB) for airborne radar precipitating system observations, where f is the microwave frequency and θ3dB is the beamwidth aperture at 3 dB. This problem is of importance. The meteorological hazard in civil aviation is mainly due to convective precipitating systems, particularly hail and strong turbulence areas. A realistic and flexible model of precipitating systems is presented, and simulations of airborne radar observations are performed at the six meteorological frequency bands (S, C, X, Ku, Ka, and W). In this paper, the effect of f and θ3dB modification is shown through radar simulations of two precipitating systems. One is a numerical simulation composed of two successive rows of convective towers; the other is inspired from a real mesoscale system, presenting hail-bearing convective towers. It is shown that some (f, θ3dB) couples are better than the one currently used by civil aviation. Notably, C band allows a better description than X band of a meteorological radar scene if the radar antenna size is increased. The model and methodology presented herein are adaptable to ground-based and satellite radars.